A North York couple are the stunned recipients of part of that huge Lotto 6/49 draw last week.
Edwin and Esperanza D'Souza came forward Monday to admit it was their ticket that was sold in Ontario. Its value: an incredible $9.9 million. The entire jackpot, part of last Wednesday's draw, was $39.6 million, the third largest in Canadian lottery history.
"I'm cool as a cucumber," the 80-year-old admitted as he claimed the enormous check at the prize office in Toronto Monday. Edwin already knows a thing or two about money — he's a retired provincial auditor. His wife is also something of a money mogul — she toiled for 25 years at a CIBC in the city.
They have a son, two daughters and eight grandchildren who will all share in the largess.
"I'm still trying to recover from the shock and excitement before making any plans but we plan to enjoy life a bit more," Edwin explains about the win.
The couple, who bought their winning ticket at the Centrepoint Mall at Yonge and Steeles just before the big draw, never imagined they'd be rolling in dough. Both came from war torn Uganda in 1972, escaping the regime of brutal dictator Idi Amin.
They'd won a Lotto 6/49 prize before, but that amounted to only $2,200.
This time it was a lot bigger and the check far more impressive. Its actual value — $9,916,782.
They've been playing the lottery since 1975, but this time they only had one ticket.
One ticket and a dream. Dreams can come true. Nice story.