What are the odds of two different, unrelated groups, both containing precisely 26 people, winning the lottery within just a few weeks of each other? Within the same Canadian province? 

I wouldn't even know where to start with the math on that one, but I'm sure the answer would involve a looootttt of zeros.

And yet, here we are, in the year 2022, reporting that a group of 26 people in Thunder Bay have won the Ontario lottery together within just a week of reporting the same thing for a group of 26 in and around Hamilton.

This time around, the group won a total of $100,000 through the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation's ENCORE, putting down just a single dollar (that time around) to bring home a six-figure sum.

When divided up equally, the prize amounts to roughly $3,846 for each participant in the pool — certainly enough to fund a nice vacation or a couple of new MacBooks.

"Saying 'yes' to ENCORE paid off for a group of 26 from the Thunder Bay District," announced the OLG on Tuesday. "They matched the last six of seven ENCORE numbers in exact order in the May 18, 2022 LOTTO 6/49 draw to win $100,000!"

The winning ticket was purchased at McDougall Fuels Esso on John Street Road in Thunder Bay.

Just a few weeks later, on May 31, a different group of 26 from across the Greater Toronto Area won a MAXMILLIONS prize worth $1 million, netting each of the coworkers who'd participated about $38,000.

Many regular lottery players have special numbers they repeatedly use for good luck, but it's sounding like 26 might just be a lucky number itself.