Half-scratched lottery ticket left on fridge door turns out to be worth $100,000

Here’s another reminder to check your forgotten lottery tickets — and check them properly!

An automotive industry worker from Ontario is beaming with joy after winning $100,000 on an Instant Gold Pursuit ticket he had pretty much forgotten about.

Ramon Fajardo is no newbie to the lotto world, having tried his luck for over a decade with different games — his favourite being the instant kind.

The East Gwillimbury resident had never seen the Instant Gold Pursuit game, but he liked the look of the ticket, so he gave it a try. He shared his story at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto.

“I had my ticket on the fridge for the longest time. I thought I won $100 on it, so I was about to take it to the store to cash it in when I noticed there was another side of the ticket to scan,” Ramon revealed.

“I checked it using the OLG app, and I was shocked. I called my wife right away – I was freaking out. I needed her to calm me down! She was convinced I was kidding, but when she saw the win for herself, she was also shocked!”

According to the YouTube channel Canadian Scratch Off King, here’s what the game’s ticket looks like. It has several parts that can be scratched to reveal prizes.

Canadian Scratch Off King/YouTube

It sounds like Ramon won the $100 through one of the smaller games on the first page and had likely forgotten to scratch off the golden “$100K” section.

Now he’s glad he rechecked it.

The winner plans to pay some bills with the prize money and share it with his community food drive.

“I will also share some of this with my mom, take a trip to celebrate, and save the rest,” Ramon said. “I am so grateful for this win.”

All forms of gambling, including the lottery, involve risk and outcomes are based on chance. Individuals are strongly advised to gamble responsibly. If you are experiencing any signs of gambling-related issues, you can find resources here.