Hamilton father wins big on gifted scratch ticket

A Hamilton man is celebrating after winning big on a scratch ticket that he received as a gift.

According to a press release from OLG, James Hooton of Hamilton won $100,000 with the Instant Bingo Doubler game recently.

“I play the lottery every week. I usually switch it up between Instant Crosswords, Lotto Max, Lottario and Lotto 6/49,” Hooton said.

Hooton said his ticket was a gift from his daughter and he happened to pick the winner out of the tickets that were offered to him.

“I thought I won $10 at first,” the 84-year-old said. He used the OLG Lottery App to confirm his win.

The retired father of four told his wife and daughter as soon as he found out about his big win.

“They were excited,” he said. “It will feel more real when we have the cheque.”

Hooton plans on purchasing a new car with his winnings.

“It feels good. It gives us a cushion,” he said.

In accordance with government-issued lockdown measures to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, OLG is currently limiting the number of in-person prize claim appointments at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto to only those that require a face-to-face interview.

The winning ticket was purchased at General Give Shop on Barton Street in Hamilton.