A pair of friends from Ontario are making excited plans after winning the lottery.
Oakville residents Lina Bagalla and Marifi Delos Reyes have been friends and neighbors for 17 years. They have also been playing the lottery together since 2017.
“I woke up the morning after the draw to check my ticket,” Bagalla said. “I heard the winning tune on the OLG app, but I had to put on my glasses to see what we won.”
When she saw the amount, Bagalla was in total disbelief.
“I was shocked — I screamed,” she recalled. She immediately told Delos Reyes who, understandably, had to scan the ticket for herself.
Delos Reyes said she was overcome with emotion when she realized they had actually won a Lotto Max second prize of $52,113.10 in the Aug. 9 drawing.
Friends Lina Bagalla and Marifi Delos Reyes/OLG
“I saw the screen and I almost cried,” she said while at the OLG Prize Center in Toronto to collect their winnings. “It was incredible.”
But that doesn’t mean they’re going to stop playing the lottery anytime soon – they’re keeping their eyes on a bigger prize.
“I’m so grateful,” Delos Reyes said. “Hopefully this win is practice for when we win the big one!”
Delos Reyes will put her half of the money toward savings and a down payment on a house. As for Bagalla, she said she will share her winnings with family.
“I would like to travel back to the Philippines for a vacation to visit family,” she said.
The winning ticket was purchased at The Lottery Stop on Rebecca Street in Oakville.
