Bocheng Mei wasn’t expecting to become a multimillionaire when he picked up a call from an unknown number.
The 26-year-old ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ resident is Ontario’s newest lottery winner, taking home the $60 million Lotto 6/49 Gold Ball jackpot from the May 7 draw. His winning ticket was purchased online through , using the site’s “Never Miss a Draw” subscription feature, which automatically enters players in upcoming draws.
After seeing various lottery winners on social media and in the news, Mei decided to try his own luck by signing up online for the subscription.Â
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“I do most stuff online, so I picked my own numbers, added ENCORE, and never had to think about it again — because I knew my tickets would be purchased automatically,â€Â Mei said during his winner celebration in ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½.
When OLG tried to reach out to notify him of the prize, a feature of being an account holder on , he had missed the email. Then, he got a call from an unknown number.
“I answered the call, and the person said they were from OLG,†he said. Skeptical of being scammed, Mei began to Google the representative to confirm they were genuine.
“I knew they were really OLG representatives because they didn’t ask for any banking information. They just asked me to check my account. That’s when I discovered I had a winning ticket, and it said I’d won $60 million! My hands and feet went numb,” he recalled.
Still processing the shock, Mei, who works in the software industry, had to attend a work meeting immediately after the call. After wrapping up his workday, the first people he told were his parents.Â
“I tried to be very calm when I told them I’d won a big prize. They wanted to make sure I wasn’t being tricked, but they know I’m always very cautious,” he said. “I told them they could retire and enjoy life. They were so shocked to hear the news.â€
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It took a few days for reality to sink in. Eventually, he told a small circle of close friends, who were overjoyed. As one of the only people amongst his friends who purchases lottery tickets, Mei joked that he might be starting a trend.Â
Now, with $60 million in his account, Mei says he’s taking time to plan his next steps carefully.Â
“I love to learn, so I want to take advantage of various educational opportunities. I also want to explore different cultures, so that means plenty of travel,” he said, adding that seeing the Aurora Borealis is on his bucket list.
He also hopes to buy a home in ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ and, most importantly, provide for his parents.Â
“I can now change their lives along with my own,” Mei said. “I can provide for them now and make so many things happen for all of us that were never possible before.â€
Allie Moustakis is a staff reporter, working out of the Star’s
radio room in ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½. Reach her via email: amoustakis@thestar.ca
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