By Sam Odrowski

A Shelburne resident is $100,000 richer after winning ENCORE in a recent LOTTO 6/49 draw.

Lauralea P. of Shelburne won after matching the last six of seven ENCORE numbers in the Jan. 24 LOTTO 6/49 draw to win.

The win came as a bit of a surprise for Lauralea, who doesn't regularly play the lottery and only discovered her win several weeks after purchasing it at JP Gas & Variety in Mono.

“I forgot I purchased this ticket for almost two months,” she recalled. “I was cleaning out my purse when I found it and my coworker offered to check it using the OLG app on her phone.”

“When the screen lit up and said, ‘Big Winner,' I couldn't believe it. I froze like a deer in headlights,” Lauralea enthused.

She said it was a surreal feeling to win the $100,000, and her coworkers are all very happy for her.

The timing of the win, however, made it even more remarkable.

“A few years back, I pranked my sons on April Fools' Day and told them I won the lottery,” she said. “Funny enough, today of all days is April 1, and here I am at the Prize Centre after actually winning the lottery,” said Lauralea, from the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto.

She said she plans to purchase a new dishwasher, take her two children on vacation, and invest the rest of her windfall.

“This experience has been amazing,” Lauralea smiled. “I have so many wonderful people cheering me on who are so excited for me.”