30-year-old Toronto man says he can finally afford a house after $55 million lottery win

Purchasing a last-minute LOTTO MAX ticket from a gas station in Scarborough wound up being one of the most-important things Nishit Parikh of Toronto has ever done, earning him $55 million in the span of just seconds.

The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) revealed on Friday that it was Parikh, a 30-year-old project manager, who won the massive LOTTO MAX jackpot draw on August 5, 2022.

Still struggling to comprehend that he now has a staggering $55 million in his bank account, Parikh told the OLG when picking up his prize in Toronto this week that he plans to use his new fortune to take care of his family, travel, invest and purchase a home in Canada's largest city — which is normally almost impossible for someone his age at this point in history.

"This win gives me freedom and opportunity to spread my wings and see the world. I've always wanted to see South America and now I can take my time and savour the scenery across the continent," said Parikh when collecting his winnings.

"I will also make some real estate investments but will take my time to settle into this life changing win. I want to be smart with this money and live a life that's as normal and low-key as possible."

According to the OLG, Parikh purchased his winning ticket just hours before the LOTTO MAX draw closed. While he usually plays his own numbers based on "significant family dates," it was an auto-generated line on the ticket that won him his $55 million windfall.

"When I checked my ticket on the OLG App, I saw the Big Winner screen, but didn't believe it. I was looking at the zeroes, squinting my eyes to do a double take. I think my brain shut down. I was trying to process what was happening," he said.

Unconvinced that the win was real, he asked his dad to take a look. His father then scanned the ticket using his own phone, proving that Parikh wasn't dealing with a glitch – he had actually won the jackpot.

"I was overcome with joy. I thought to myself, now I can finally afford a house in Toronto," he said at the OLG prize centre in Toronto. "I told my close family on a video chat, and they guessed what happened. They were ecstatic for me."

Parikh is equally excited for his family to benefit from the $55 million LOTTO MAX win, for which he has sought out help from financial experts to manage.

"My parents made so many sacrifices for me to succeed," he said. "Now I can take care of them the way they deserve."