TORONTO, Aug. 9, 2021 /CNW/ – Ginno Torres of Toronto is finally ready to share the big secret he has been keeping to himself this summer. He had a LOTTO MAX ticket worth $35 million! Ginno had one of two jackpot winning tickets from the Tuesday, June 22, 2021 LOTTO MAX draw. He split the $70 million top prize with a winner from British Columbia.
The recent college graduate, and Ontario’s newest multi-millionaire, decided to keep the news about his windfall to himself until he received his cheque from OLG. “I wanted to make sure it was real before I surprised my family and friends with this incredible news,” said Ginno as he received his cheque at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto.
The 29-year-old, who is a regular lottery player, checked his ticket a few days after the draw at a store in his neighbourhood. He saw a lot of zeros on the ticket checker and thought he had won $35,000 but wasn’t sure what he was seeing on the display. So, he went to another store and checked again. “That’s when I realized I won $35 million. My stomach was in knots as I was thinking about what was happening.” In fact, Ginno walked to another store to have the ticket validated by a retailer. That’s when the winning bell sounds on the lottery terminal started going off. “I was numb!” he recalled.
Ginno checked the LOTTO MAX ticket in the morning, so he struggled a bit with how to deal with the full day ahead of him.
“I had to try to continue on with my day as if nothing had happened as a coping mechanism to deal with the shock of this life changing event!”
Ginno Torres , LottoMax Winner
Still somewhat in shock over the incredible reality that he is a multi-millionaire, Ginno wants to take some time to figure out what do with the money. “I am going to make sure my family is taken care of and I will make some investments to make sure I am well taken care of long into the future.” He will be sharing a portion of his winning with some charities that are near and dear to him. Ginno also wants to redecorate his home and plans to commission some custom-made art from Canadian Indigenous artists. He hopes to travel across Canada and when it’s safe to tour other countries, he plans to visit Europe and Asia.
Ginno purchased his winning ticket at King Grocery on King Street in Toronto.
