Canada lotto winner shares lessons learned after jackpot

Playing the lotto can be a game of wishful thinking, but when the unimaginable does happen and the big win hits, it can be life-changing.

CTVNews.ca spoke with one lucky player to find out what the six-figure windfall taught him.

Olli Kauppinen of Tottenham, Ont., says he has been playing the lotto for at least five decades, and began playing it regularly in the past five years.

In recent years, the 73-year-old retired ready-mix concrete driver has played Lotto 6/49 twice a week, always using the same numbers.

That $16 weekly gamble turned into a $100,000 prize last August, when his ticket’s computer-generated bonus numbers hit.

“I thought I was about to cry because the emotions were just overwhelming,” Kauppinen said in a recent phone interview with CTVNews.ca. “All of a sudden you got yourself $100,000 you were never expecting to win … It’s so hard to put into words, the feeling is incredible.”

Don’t expect life to stay the same

News of his good fortune made Kauppinen realize his life would quickly change.

“The experience was just fantastic,” he said. “I still reel when I think about it.”

With the winnings, Kauppinen says he and his wife were able to pay off their mortage on the two-storey home they’ve owned for 18 years. They used to make regular, biweekly payments of $938, but now he says those are a thing of the past.

“Now we’re mortage-free, so it’s a big weight lifted off the shoulders,” he said. “I was happy before, but I’m even happier now.”

It’s a feeling of relief he’s grateful to enjoy.

“We don’t have to worry about a thing except our health, which is most important,” said Kaupinnen. “If you can get rid of bills, it makes life a lot easier all around.”

Don’t act on a whim

Suddenly having a whole whack of cash may tempt you to spend carelessly or splurge on that coveted big-ticket item. Kauppinen advises other winners to rein in their impulses.

“What I would suggest is not to spend the money foolishly — think before you react,” he said. “Think where you’re going to put it, and put it to good use.”

It also pays to keep in mind that money can disappear in a flash, Kauppinen advises.

“Even though it seems it was easy come, it will go a lot easier if you don’t watch what you’re doing,” he said. “Just keep an eye on your pennies and it will all come together.”

Kauppinen admits he was tempted to splurge after his win. As a car enthusiast, Kauppinen said he would’ve loved to treat himself to a 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle.

“You’re looking at $50- or $60,000 for that particular car, and that money would’ve been gone in a flash,” he said.

Instead, he used his spare lotto winnings for smaller pleasures such as a swimming pool, an outdoor sauna and a used 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. He and his wife are also going on a trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico in November.

“If you have a mortgage, pay down your mortgage,” he said. “If you can get the big burdens off your shoulders, it’s a cakewalk.”

Kauppinen says his work and government pensions are his main income now.

Don’t place too much importance on material things

Unexpected wealth can make life easier, Kauppinen says, but it’s not everything.

As he puts it, remember that “we’re doing great” as long as we survive with what we really need in life.

“Material things are one thing, but they’re not the main reason for us being on this planet,” Kauppinen said.

Don’t miss opportunities

One of life’s blessings Kauppinen says he’s grateful for is his beloved wife. On top of a lifetime of happiness, he says that if it hadn’t been for her, he never would have won.

His wife checked his old tickets for him – which was rare for her to do — and found that one of them had a free play attached. The sales clerk asked if she wanted to play Encore, Lotto 6/49’s bonus game that adds a second set of predetermined numbers, and she said “yes,” he said. Those numbers, in the end, are the ones that hit.

“If I got the tickets myself, I wouldn’t have bought Encore,” he explained. “She’s my lucky charm … it was a God-send.”

He now buys Encore no matter what, he says.

Don’t give up and don’t stop dreaming

Kauppinen says he won’t ever forget the feeling of seeing his dream come true, but he also hasn’t stopped dreaming.

“The odds are eventually those numbers are going to come up sooner or later,” he said. “The longer you play, the chances are you’re going to win. Like anything else, consistency, stick to my guns with the same numbers.”

He continues to play the lotto, spending $16 a week. He now plays a new set of numbers because he lost the old ones that were used when he won the Encore jackpot, he added.

“It’s a dream,” Kauppinen said. “If we don’t have our dreams, you have nothing. I’ve always been a dreamer. If it comes through, it comes through and if it doesn’t, at least I dreamt about it.”