Close to a half-a-million dollar lottery score for Oakville NFL fan

An Oakville man is nearly half a million dollars richer thanks to the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans.

The two NFL teams’ wins clinched George Papadopoulos a $407,613 cash prize in the Pools lottery game.

The lottery game is straightforward. Pick who you think is going to win each football game and whoever gets the most correct picks wins or shares the prize pool.

For Papadopoulos, it came down to needing those final two Monday night games.

“I saw that Kansas City won their game,” said Papadopoulos, who works in transportation. “I had a feeling that game was going to be a close one. When Houston won, I knew I had it.”

Papadopoulos normally plays Pools, Proline, Lotto 649, and Lotto Max. He’s had a few small wins over the years, but this is his biggest prize yet.

“I’ve watched football all my life and I love it,” said the NFL fan while picking up his winnings at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto. “I was so happy and excited when I realized I won. I shared the news with my partner, who was in bed sleeping at the time. I leaned into her and whispered, ‘We got it!’”

Papadopoulos got up early the next Tuesday morning to find out how much he had won.

“When I saw that my ticket was the only winner and that I had won over $400,000, I said, ‘Yes!’ All the upsets I played came through,” he said.

Papadopoulos has an idea of what he is going to do with his winnings.

“I want to share some of this win with my children,” he said. “I also plan to take my partner on a trip where we can appreciate the Ontario fall colours and hear the call of the loons. I may look for a new home and enjoy some more travel as well.

“I have a lot of fun decisions to make! I’m incredibly grateful for this win.”

Papadopoulos purchased his winning ticket at Abbeywood Convenience on Abbeywood Drive in Oakville.