'Are you ready to retire?' Amherstburg resident celebrates $100K lottery win

Rocco Dipierdomenico of Amherstburg, Ont. with his winnings at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto, Ont. (Source: OLG)

An Amherstburg retiree was in shock and shaking when he found out was the lucky winner of $100,000.

Rocco Dipierdomenico won the top prize playing OLG’s Instant Crossword Tripler. He said he’s been playing the lottery for about 20 years.

“I’ve always liked playing INSTANT tickets as a way to pass the time and socialize with friends,” Dipierdomenico said.

Rocco purchased a ticket at his local coffee shop one evening, and when he checked to see if it was a winner, the machine shut down.

“My body became still with shock,” he said. “I needed to double check the ticket, then took a couple minutes to process my win outside.”

The 64-year-old called his wife to share the good news who was just as shocked as he was.

“’Are you ready to retire?’” he asked her. “She couldn’t believe it!” Rocco said he was shaking when he got home. “I told my daughter, and she said, ‘Are you kidding me?’ We celebrated the win together as a family.”

Dipierdomenico said he’s hoping to buy a new car and new furniture with the winnings and save whatever is left.

“It feels fantastic,” he said. “You always joke about winning, but when it happens, it’s unbelievable.”

The winning ticket was purchased at Downtown Espresso Cafe on Dalhousie Street in Amherstburg.