When Mario Palin went to the Superstore near his home late one night for a last minute errand, he never expected the trip would make him $250,000 richer.
The Sudbury resident went to the grocery store to buy some Jell-O for his stepson's project at school. When he left the store he passed by a member of the Knights of Columbus selling tickets for their annual lottery.
Palin only had $5 in his wallet, but that was exactly enough to buy the man's last ticket.
After he bought the ticket, he thought nothing of it and folded it into his wallet.
Days later, he received a call from his wife that he apparently had the winning ticket. He thought the big prize was $25,000 at first, but it turned out to be $250,000.
“The most I had won before was $85 from a lottery ticket,” Palin said.
He said he will use the money to pay of some of his personal debt, prepare for his retirement and pay for his stepson's post-secondary education.
Kevin Daudlin, a state deputy with the Knights of Columbus, said the organization gave away more than $700,000 in prizes this year.
In a switch from previous years, the organization moved away from car prizes and went with cash and electronics.
Daudlin said most of the funds raised for charity stay in the communities where the tickets were sold. The lottery also helps support the Arthritis Society.
Daudlin said they still haven't finished counting how much they've raised this year.