THUNDER BAY — When Steve Scerba showed his wife, Joanne the ticket that had just won them a million dollars, she burst into tears.
Earlier, he had phoned her after going to a store to check their numbers in the Lotto 6/49 Gold Ball Draw held on Oct. 16.
Scerba first had to scan the ticket at least eight times to convince himself they had won a major prize, which he initially thought was only $100,000.
Then he asked the clerk to check the ticket, "and she said it looked like I had won $1 million. I was frozen with disbelief," he said.
Scerba works in public service, while his wife is retired from the public service.
She recalled that when her husband called from the store "I could barely understand him, and thought something was wrong at first. As it finally started to sink in, all I could say was 'Are you joking? Are you sure? ' "
Steve Scerba added, while laughing, "Instead of OLG, it was OMG. We spent days in a haze of bewilderment."
He said the windfall means he'll be able to accelerate his retirement date.
The couple plans to complete some home renovations, invest for the future and travel to some warm, sunny beaches.
