That's a million a year: Toronto inventor wins $30 million after playing for 30 years
/A Toronto part-time inventor picked up $30 million this week after he hit Canada’s Lotto Max jackpot lottery prize earlier this month.
Patrick Hale, 56, used Quick Pick tickets to win the giant jackpot in a draw on Friday, Feb. 4.
Hale said he’s been playing the lottery regularly for more than 30 years and has always dreamed of “hitting it big.”
The Ontario building supervisor said he plans to retire immediately to continue his hobby of inventing.
After the draw, Patrick checked his numbers early that morning. And in what he described as a daze, realized his life was about to change in a big way.
“I just kept repeating, ‘I won the lottery’ and sat there feeling numb. My stomach was in knots,” Hale said.
“I woke up my wife to tell her and she didn’t say anything. She didn’t believe me, and she still doesn’t,” he laughed.
Patrick said he’s been playing the lottery regularly for more than 30 years and has always dreamed of ‘hitting it big.’
For the winning numbers, Hale said he picked his first line of numbers, but it was one of his Quick Pick lines that won him the jackpot.
With $30 million now sitting in his bank account, the self-proclaimed inventor can start figuring out how to spend his money.
“In my mind, I’m an inventor, I just didn’t have the money for it. And now, I can pursue my invention side of life and make it real,” he said.
Hale said he looks forward to buying a new house, a new car, and spreading his fortune across his family and friends.
“If you don’t help people then what do you do in life? There’s nothing else to life,” he said.
“This win won’t change me, it’s just going to allow me to help more people. Now my heart can be bigger," he said, and added. "Yee-haw!"
