Lottery win yet to sink in for McKinnon

It was just another Friday night on the job for William (Hugh) McKinnon—until he went on the Internet to check his Super 7 ticket with Encore.
McKinnon said he was pleased to see his seven Encore numbers all matched the winning numbers, but didn’t realize exactly what that meant.
“I didn’t know I’d won a million [dollars],” he said in a phone interview yesterday from Toronto, where he was collecting his cheque.
“I checked the winning numbers on the Internet and I thought, ‘Oh my goodness, I’ve got them all!’”
But it wasn’t until he consulted the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp.’s website that McKinnon realized how much he had won. He then checked his numbers several more times—to be sure it was true.
So what was the first thing he did when it was clear he had won? “I finished work and went home,” he remarked coolly.
McKinnon said he told no one of his win before heading to Toronto to claim his prize, except for his wife, Cindy, and their two children, aged 23 and 16.
“Nobody knows. I guess they’ll know now,” he chuckled.
As first reported in yesterday’s Times, the 56-year-old firefighter said he didn’t have any big plans for the money yet.
“I’ll probably consider retiring and share it with the family, and help my kids with their education,” he noted.
When asked how he could remain so calm about his win, McKinnon replied, “The shock hasn’t hit yet.”
The winning ticket was bought at Sparky’s Confectionery.
McKinnon said he buys lottery tickets three times a week, adding his largest payout prior to this was $80.
The chance of winning $1 million on the Encore are roughly one in 10 million.