THUNDER BAY – Frank Deleo is the winner of the fifth-largest Thunder Bay 50/50 jackpot, taking home $899,510 in Friday’s draw.
His luck, it turns out, was better than his favourite hockey team’s.
Deleo, a big Toronto Maple Leafs fan, bought the winning ticket on Thursday night, the final day of sales for the April draw, during the Leafs Game 5 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
He initially thought the call from Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation president and CEO Glenn Craig was prank by friends related to the Leafs failure to close out their best-of-seven playoff series, but was quickly convinced otherwise.
Now he’s hoping to see them win in person.
“I’m going to watch the Leafs,” he told Craig.
The foundation has awarded more than $22 million in prizes since launching in 2021.
“The Thunder Bay 50/50 makes a huge difference in the winner’s lives,” Craig said.
“It also makes a huge difference in patients’ lives as it has allowed us to fund many pieces of equipment for our hospital which we may not have been able to do otherwise.”
May’s draw is already live, with $25,000 in early-bird prizes up for grabs.
Tickets are available to anyone in Ontario at the time of purchase, at www.thunderbay5050.ca.
