Grand Valley resident wakes up to $75,000 Lotto Max win

November 16, 2023 · 0 Comments

Written By Paula Brown

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A Grand Valley man has a few extra dollars to put towards his dreams after winning a Lotto Max second prize.

The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) announced in a press release last Thursday (Nov.9) that James Secord of Grand Valley had won over $75,000 in the Oct. 24 Lotto Max draw.

“I’ve been playing the game for so long, just doing quick pick numbers, and never really won anything more than $20. I finally got lucky so it’s kind of exciting,” Secord told the Free Press.

The winning ticket was purchased at Town Milk & Variety on Main Street in Shelburne. Speaking with the Free Press, Secord said he stopped into the local convenience store to purchase the ticket while on the way home from Collingwood.

“I just thought, ‘I’d better get a ticket,’ and it’s become one of those lucky things,” said Secord.

He discovered the win the morning after the draw when scanning the ticket using the OLG app.

“It was one way to wake up, for sure.”

Moving to the Grand Valley area in 1983, Secord has been a self-employed house painter in the community for almost 40 years. He told the Free Press he will be using the winnings to make a few upgrades to his home, and at the age of 74, the money will go towards his retirement.

The recent lottery win marks the second time a winning ticket has been sold at Town Milk & Variety in Shelburne in the last two months. In September, a Shelburne couple took home $63,678.30 on a Lotto 6/49 ticket sold at the store.