“The second call was the charm. ”

A lottery supporter for two decades, System Analyst Peter Digiammarino has always purchased 50/50 add-on tickets as “a great way to up the odds.” Of his 50/50 win, he recalls: “I got a call earlier in the day. I couldn’t pick up, but I could see that it was Heart & Stroke. I figured it was a reminder call to buy tickets. Winning the lottery just wasn’t on my radar – which was unusual, given I support a number of charity lotteries and usually keep track of the draw dates.  

When another call came in later that day, and the representative asked to put him on speaker so he could talk to the team, “I realized this was not a reminder to buy tickets. My daughter was visiting that day, and together, we got the amazing news.”   

He plans to put his winnings toward: “a sunny vacation, paying off my mortgage and buying a nice SUV – my current vehicles will go to charities supporting families in need. Supporting the lottery will always be a part of his life: “My father-in-law passed from heart disease and my father from stroke. The older you get, the more important it is to know that research is happening and saving lives.” He also believes that his win will influence other to buy tickets: “With my friends for sure, because now they actually know someone who won big.”