More than five months after the draw, Chatham-Kent’s new $70-million man has surfaced.
Adrian Olmstead of Blenheim had the winning ticket, but it wasn’t until recently that he went to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming offices in Toronto to claim his prize.
Olmstead won the $70-million jackpot in the April 14 Lotto Max. He said it took him a moment to come to terms with exactly that meant.
“I went into the local grocery store, saw there was no one at the Ticket Checker and checked four tickets in my pocket,” the 44-year-old said in a media release. “From the first three tickets I only had a free play, but when I scanned the fourth ticket, I saw ‘Big Winner’ and thought I saw $70,000 flashing. I checked it a few more times and was stunned to realize it was $70 million!”
At that moment he abandoned his full shopping cart, quickly walked out of the store, got into his truck and started to cry.
While in the grocery store parking lot, he phoned his mom, who heard him crying and was instantly worried.
“I told her, ‘These are tears of joy, Mom, because I just won $70 million with Lotto Max!’ I had to repeat myself a few times because she was in shock. But when reality sunk in, my mom, who never swears, yelled a few expletives,” he said.
The stay-at-home father of two children said he took a bit of time before coming forward to claim the ticket because he wanted to ensure he had the best advice on how to handle the money and how it would impact his and his family’s lives.
“My priority is that we live a good life, but I want to raise my children to know the value of a dollar, understand the meaning of hard work and to teach them how to provide for themselves when they are adults,” he said.
Olmstead has plans to buy a new home with plenty of land so his children have of room to play. He also plans to take care of his mother.
But he does want to splurge on couple of “toys” for the family such as an RV, so that they can travel across Canada, and wants to have new fishing boat in tow on those adventures.
“The most important thing to me has always been to provide for my family. I can now do that in ways I never dreamed of before. This money can even ensure a good fortune for my future grandchildren,” he said.
