Greg CeBelak and Diana Crabtree won $1,000,000 instantly after winning the grand prize in an instant lotto scratch ticket.
CeBelak stopped into Lukie's Convenience in Alliston on his way home from work Wednesday and picked up an Ontario Instant Millions ticket. He took it home, and as per their usual custom, the couple scratched it together on their deck. Crabtree scratched the first half, revealing two million dollar logos. She handed the ticket back to CeBelak, who began to scratch his side of the ticket. He stopped halfway through.
"I scratched it, and it said a million. I was speechless," he said.
CeBelak passed the ticket back to Crabtree for confirmation. She didn't say anything either, but her reaction was all the assurance he needed.
For the couple, the win couldn't have come at a better time. At the end of March, Crabtree was laid off from her job at Metroland North Media (the owner of this newspaper). CeBelak had recently started up his seasonal employment at a golf course, but the financial future for the couple was still in doubt. Crabtree said the last two months had been stressful, because the couple had been trying to decide on their next course of action.
"You have to start figuring out what you were going to do, and now the decision was made (for us)," she said.
CeBelak and Crabtree took the ticket back to Lukie's for confirmation. The following day they took it to the OLG headquarters in Toronto where, after a two-hour claiming process, they walked out with a cheque for $1,000,000.
The next day, CeBelak went back to work and told them he was intending on retiring early.
As for the winnings, the couple plans on investing most of it, after an upgrading their house and getting a new vehicle.
"We're going to be very conservative with it...," CeBelak said. "But basically, we're going to maintain our lifestyle and get to do some travelling.
On their list of places to visit are Europe and Hawaii, although they both say their new-found freedom leaves the door wide open about where they may end up.
They both plan to continue their involvement with local community theatre groups, including the Blackhorse Village Players where they have been integral members (CeBelak on stage and Crabtree behind the scenes) for a number of years.
