THUNDER BAY -- Mike and Megan Tallari can thank their three-year-old daughter Isla for their $350,000 lottery win.
The couple was out shopping recently when they promised to buy the youngster a chocolate treat if she behaved. They followed through on that promise, which led to their lucky win.
"We went up to the convenience store, bought the chocolate egg and with the change in my pocket, there happened to be one $5 Big Spin (ticket) left in the tray and that was it," said Mike Tallari, who travelled to Toronto with his wife to spin the OLG prize wheel to find out exactly what grand prize they'd be taking home.
"Thanks to our oldest daughter, we are here today."
Mike Tallari said he knows the likelihood of them grabbing the winning ticket were slim.
"The odds are crazy. It can happen when you least expect and where you least expect it," he said.
To win, the couple scratched their ticket, which revealed a prize labelled spin. They validated the ticket and spun the automated wheel. When it landed on Big Spin, the Tallari's were guaranteed a prize ranging between $100,000 and $500,000.
On Wednesday they visited the OLG prize centre, where they spun the wheel, which stopped on $350,000.
The couple said they have plenty of plans for the money.
"It's amazing, we don't even have words," Megan Tallari said.
"You don't know until you spin it. The mind's a funny thing. For seven days we've been seeing different numbers, different amounts. We were going to be extremely happy with $100,000, but obviously your mind tends to wander and think crazy things. This just means we can take care of our little girls. It's unbelievable."
Megan said they plan to put some of the money away for their daughters' education fund, as well as splurging on a new vehicle.
"We're going to need a bigger vehicle to cart everybody around," she said.
"It's going to be a fun Christmas, that's for sure," her husband added.
