SYDNEY, N.S. — A North River man said after more than 50 years in Ontario he moved home to Cape Breton with his partner in May to retire.
Now Sheldon Ferguson says they are able to do it debt free.
Ferguson and partner Cindy Reynolds recently claimed $250,000 in Atlantic Lottery Corp.'s newest Watch’ N Win game Hit or Miss, matching all 12 numbers in the Dec. 13 draw, allowing them the top prize.
In a phone interview with the Post, Ferguson said it is a great start to their retirement which they are enjoying with their golden doodle and America bulldog. After living in Ontario since 1964 – being raised there — Ferguson’s happy to be home. Having lots of family in Cape Breton he would travel back every few years to visit.
“It was expensive to move home,” he said. “The money allowed us to pay off all our bills, pay off our mortgage, which is everything. Plus we were able to buy a new truck. The money is now basically gone but we’re now able to live on our pensions debt free.”
The ticket was purchased at the Wilsons Go Store attached to the Esso station in Bras d'Or, where Ferguson says he always stops for gas and has been buying tickets since moving back here.
In a press release from ALC, Reynolds said they always use the ALC mobile app to check their tickets, but she still didn’t believe it when it said they had won $250,000.
“I got out the ticket and rechecked it. Then I obviously rechecked it quite a few times,” she said with a laugh. “We sat there in awe, we didn’t say two words to each other for the longest time.”
Ferguson told the Post he played the Hit or Miss game while living in Ontario for years. The game was just introduced in the Atlantic area in September and he has been playing it since.
He has won on the game before.
“I won $2,” he said, laughing.
Hit or Miss launched in the Alantic region on Sept. 30, 2019. Since then, five top prizes of $250,000 have been won as well as two top instant prizes of $25,000. Three top prizes have been awarded in Newfoundland and Labrador and another prize of $250,000 remains unclaimed in Dartmouth from the Oct. 3 nightly draw.
Hit or Miss is a daily draw game, with a chance to win up to $25,000 instantly and a $250,000 top prize in the nightly draw. For $2, players can ask the retailer for a Hit or Miss ticket and the lottery terminal will randomly choose their 12 numbers from 1 to 24. Players can win the top prize by matching all 12 numbers or missing all 12 numbers.
Ferguson said he likes the game’s odds and especially the in-store digital animation that draws numbers for the instant prize.
“It’s a good draw, I like when the machine comes up and you can watch the numbers come on and you do the winner dance,” he said. “It’s surreal. Now that we’re here and we know it’s a winner, it’s joyful. We’re debt-free, it’s a weight off your shoulders.”
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