Lottery: Two eastern Ontario residents become millionaires from $100 scratchers

A pair of eastern Ontario residents are riding the New Year on a high note after becoming $1 million richer.

Ian Dupre of Embrun, Ont. and Stephanie Kell of Tweed, Ont. were two of the top prize winners from the Instant Ultimate scratch-off draw held on Jan. 4.

Dupre, a 37-year-old data analyst and father of two, said he isn’t a regular lottery player.

 “I drove my wife to the next town over to have our baby. After the baby was born, I decided to pick up some tickets while we were waiting to leave the hospital. I saw the Ultimate ticket and figured I would try my luck,” Dupre told the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) when he picked up his winnings.

“Sure enough, I checked my ticket after the draw and see I won $1 million – I was in complete disbelief. The first person I told was my wife and she couldn’t believe it.”

Dupre says he plans to pay some bills and make investments with his windfall. The winning ticket was purchased at Quickie Pearl on William Street in Brockville.

“It’s surreal,” he said.

Kell, 32, said she’s also not a regular lottery player but will normally reach for an Ultimate ticket during the holiday season. She was cleaning her kitchen when she remembered to check her ticket on the OLG app.

“I completely froze when I saw the amount,” she told the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto.

“I ran out to the garage to tell my husband. He couldn’t believe it. We were both so shocked and in disbelief.”

She plans to pay off some bills and invest her winnings. She published her ticket at Petro Canada on Highway 62 in Belleville.

Instant Ultimate is a unique scratch-off ticket which could be purchased for $100 between Oct. 2, 2023 to Jan. 4, 2024. Players could scratch and win for an instant prize of up to $100,000 and each ticket was eligible for a chance to win one of 40 $1 million dollar prizes drawn on Jan. 4.

The odds of winning any prize were 1 in 3.55.