Could you imagine winning a major lottery twice in your life? Well, the unimaginable is possible and there’s a couple who know all about it. Raymond and Gaye Lillington from Dingwall, Nova Scotia in Canada, won the Canadian Lotto 6/49 jackpot for the second time in the space of seven years.
In 2013, the couple won a $3,2 Million Lotto 6/49 jackpot (R53, 7 Million in South Africa) on a ticket they purchased at a local food market and now seven years later, the Lillington’s have won $17,4 million in the Lotto 6/49 draw (R292 Million in South Africa) after purchasing a ticket from the same store.
The Lillington’s could not believe their luck. “I still played and people said, ‘you’ll never win again,’ and I said, ‘of course I will”, said Raymond Lillington. “But that was a joke! I never imagined this could actually happen”.
“That was pretty exciting. This is even more so but that was life-changing for us,” said Gaye Lillington. “It was amazing, still amazing.”
The couple’s first win went towards their retirement and allowed them to purchase a new home and new vehicles. They also used their winnings to fulfil most of their travelling dreams. The couple who have now collected a $17,405,158 cheque, (R292,562,549.37) plan on sharing much of their winnings with family and loved ones, this includes their five children and six grandchildren.
In addition, the Lillington’s intend on supporting some local organizations and do some more international travelling when it is safe to do so.
The Lillington’s family could not believe that they had won the lottery for the second time around.
“Our kids are even more mesmerized than we are. They just can’t believe it”, Raymond said. “My oldest texted me a million times today. He can’t eat, he can’t sleep, the kids just can’t believe it’s real.”
The couple are not the only big winners according to the Atlantic Lottery rules that stipulate that when a winning ticket is sold at a retail, the retail venue receives one per cent of the winning amount.
Therefore, the owner of the food market received $174,000 which is a saving grace as the rural business had been struggling due to the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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