Ontario man ready to see the world after $44M Lotto 649 win: ‘I’d better tell my wife’

He says he'll take his wife on a vacation, travel to Europe, go on a cruise and help his children with his winnings

Published May 15, 2026  •  Last updated 25 minutes ago  •  2 minute read

Emidio S. of Jarvis, Ontario, won the $44 million LOTTO 6/49 Gold Ball jackpot from the March 11, 2026 draw. HANDOUT/OLG

A Jarvis man is happily newly unemployed after winning $44 million in the March 11 Lotto 6/49 Gold Ball jackpot.

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The now former service worker found out about his big win while on his early morning commute to work.

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“I was on my way to work listening to the radio when I heard the Lotto 6/49 Gold Ball prize was won in Ontario – but I didn’t hear the amount,” Emidio S. said, according to OLG, which has stopped including winners’ surnames in news releases due to privacy concerns. The winners’ full names do appear on OLG’s list of winners of $1,000 or more on its website for up to 30 days.

“I would usually wait until I got to work to check my email because I buy my lottery tickets on OLG.ca, but, something told me to stop the car and check right away.”

Emidio pulled over in front of a random home and noticed an email from OLG telling him he had won a prize.

“The email looked a little different than normal,” he told OLG. “I logged into my OLG.ca account and was shocked when I saw the prize amount. Was it $4,400? Or $44,000?”

By the time he counted all the zeroes and realized his prize was $44 million, it was hard for him to comprehend.

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How he told his wife the big news

“I signed out of my OLG.ca account, logged back in, and saw the $44-million figure again,” he said. “I couldn’t wrap my head around it! Finally, I said to myself, ‘I’d better tell my wife.’”

Emidio turned around and headed home to share the news.

“As soon as I walked into the house, I took a deep breath and told her I needed her to look at my OLG.ca account,” he told OLG.

“She was stunned to see that I had won the jackpot. She said excitedly, ‘If this is true, we won’t have to worry about the kids’ futures ever again.’ My wife looked at me with tears in her eyes and asked me if this was real. And for the first time, at that moment, it felt like it was.”

How he plans to enjoy his winnings

Emidio says his top priority is taking his wife on a well-deserved dream vacation.

“My wife works 12-hour days, sometimes seven days a week – she needs this!” he said, fighting back tears.

“We used to travel a bit before COVID, and just seeing her relaxing on a beach back then was pure joy for me. I can picture her looking out over the ocean without a care in the world. I just want to see that expression of relaxation and joy on her face again.”

Emidio also plans to explore Europe, go on a cruise, and see the world with family and friends.

He also wants to help his children.

“I’m hoping they’ll be able to live out their ambitions and careers on their own terms, rather than simply working to pay the bills.”

Emidio bought his winning ticket on OLG.ca using the Auto Pick feature to choose his numbers.

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