ontario lottery winner

Toronto-area lotto winner got $2 million shock after thinking she'd won just $2K

Ontario's newest multi-millionaire had a jaw-dropping double-take when she checked her winning scratch card a second time and noticed some extra zeroes at the end of her prize.

Tonicia James of Woodbridge is the latest jackpot winner of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation's (OLG) Instant $2 Million Extreme game, a $20 scratch card that paid off big.

The occasional lotto player has a tradition with her partner where they buy each other scratchers for New Year's.

When they purchased that fateful ticket at a Petro Canada on Jane Street in Concord, the pair were likely not expecting to become millionaires overnight.

At first, James thought she only won $2,000 and didn't realize there were three extra zeroes added to the end of that sum.

Already shocked at the much smaller prize, she was soon over the moon when she realized that she had, in fact, won $2 million.

"When I played my ticket, I thought I won $2,000. I scanned it using my OLG App and was in shock when I saw all the zeroes! I felt like I was dreaming," James told the OLG while picking up her novelty cheque in Toronto. 

Now with some extra coin in the bank (and the realization that she is now a multimillionaire), James is planning on purchasing her dream home and taking a relaxing trip to Cuba.

Lead photo by

Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Latest in City

Toronto residents keep finding fake parking tickets stuck to their windshields

University of Toronto just beat every other Canadian school in global ranking

Dozens of trees about to be chopped down for TTC subway extension

Here's how much you have to earn to afford living in Toronto in 2026

New subway station bridging over busy Toronto street is taking shape fast

Two entire transit lines serving Toronto will shut down for all of this weekend

Canadians could cash in on new Loblaw class-action lawsuit

Toronto named on list of the world's best cities