Greater Sudbury grandmother wins $400K lottery prize based on popular gameshow
After playing the lottery for more than 40 years, a Greater Sudbury woman made a huge windfall playing a scratch ticket game.
Rachelle McLean, a grandmother from the community of Worthington, won $400,000 playing Instant Plinko, Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. said in a news release Monday.
Rachelle McLean of Worthington won $400K playing Instant Plinko. Sept. 17, 2024 (Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp.)
The lottery game is based on a popular The Price is Right gameshow.
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It started with the scratch ticket and ended with McLean dropping a chip on the big Plinko board at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto.
"I went to the store to validate my ticket, and as the Plinko chip drop was playing on the screen, I thought I had won $20," she is quoted as saying in the news release.
Instead of an instant monetary prize, if the word CHIP matches one of the 'lucky' numbers on the top of the card, an animated chip drop plays on the lottery retailer's screen when the ticket is scanned.
"The Chip landed on Plinko, and the screen turned pink," McLean said.
"The clerk got very excited, so I knew I must have won something big. She explained that OLG would be calling shortly. I just couldn’t believe it!"
In addition to guaranteed prizes ranging from $10 to $10,000, if the animated chip lands on the PLINKO spot, the game moves to the Toronto prize centre.
She said when she called her husband to tell him he didn't understand her.
"He just kept saying, 'Make sure you take your time and get home safely,'" McLean said.
The chip drop in Toronto has a guaranteed prize with amounts ranging from $100,000 to $500,000.
McLean bought her winning ticket at the Petro-Canada gas station on Atherly Road in Orillia.
Playsmart offers information on gambling games.
If you or someone you know is struggling with problem gambling, help is available.
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