NEWS RELEASE
OLG
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Jansen Ng of East Gwillimbury sees his windfall as a social and moral responsibility, promising to do a lot of good as Ontario and Canada's newest multi-millionaire. He even vows to continue to cut his own hair! Jansen collected the massive $65 million jackpot from the Tuesday, July 6, 2021 Lotto Max draw.
The 41-year-old, who is an occasional lottery player, decided to buy a Lotto Max Quick Pick ticket at a local gas station while he was out playing Pokémon Go. "I had heard on the news that the jackpot had been won in my local municipality of York Region, but it didn't really click that it could be me".
"A few days after the draw, I went to check the ticket on a ticket checker and the message said, 'Please See Retailer'. I thought the ticket checker was malfunctioning and decided to check the ticket at home on the OLG Lottery App."
That's when he saw the "Big Winner" message on the App but didn't believe it so he kept checking it on a few other mobile devices.
He finally went back to the retailer with the ticket and the terminal began to chime and announce 'Winner/Gagnant'. That's when he truly got excited and his first thought was, "Thank God. This is a huge blessing!"
The first person he told about his new windfall was not his parents or his banker. Instead, he went to visit his pastor. He knew that lottery winners usually seek out financial advice when they first learn of their win, but he wanted to seek some spiritual and moral advice. "I felt the responsibility of this win immediately. I wanted to be sure to use this money responsibly, so I felt my pastor was the best person to work that through with me. This is such a humbling experience."
As a spiritual person, Jansen says, "I see this as God's money; I've just been entrusted to take care of it for a little while."
Jansen says he wants to continue to support charities he currently works with, which remain near and dear to him. He is also exploring ways to set up several foundations and not-for-profits.
"I have travelled extensively over the years, saw much poverty and want to try to make the world a better place with some of this money. Lottery winnings used strategically and intentionally can impact the community far beyond just a simple donation."
As a former member of the military, he suffered a traumatic brain injury that led to his retirement. He vows to help fellow veterans and others to deal with non-visible injuries that lead to a severely diminished quality of life.
"At one point, I was almost homeless because I didn't know how to deal with my injury. I was struggling with making decisions and some of the things I did were strange and irrational, but I kept the true cause hidden from the people around me. I hope to help some who are struggling as I did without having to face more personal hardships."
When asked what he wanted to splurge on for himself, he said he wants to buy a new electric car to replace a hybrid vehicle he currently drives. He insists that his newfound wealth won't change him.
"I'm still going to be the guy who donates blood every two months and cuts his own hair. I have been cutting my own hair for the last 10 years, not as a result of the pandemic, and think I do a pretty good job at it."
When asked for his thoughts on buying lottery tickets, Jansen said, "People buy lottery tickets because of hope. Hope has been diminished a bit for some because of the pandemic, but I want to encourage everyone to hang in there. I've gone through a lot of hardship, but hope helped me to get up every time I've fallen. Look forward to tomorrow. Who knows, you might win the lottery as well".
The winning ticket was purchased at Marina's Express Mart on Leslie Street in Sharon.
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