Jason Debattista had to scan his lottery ticket a few times to fully comprehend how much he won through the Jan. 5 Lotto Max draw.

“When I scanned it the first time, I saw the words ‘Big Winner’ and the number 35 so I thought I won $35. I scanned it again and saw a couple more zeros,” the Brampton resident told the Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG) Corporation.

“I scanned it a third time and that’s when I thought to myself ‘Wait a minute … there are a lot of zeros here.’ I called my wife over to double-check and we realized, together at the same time, that I won big.”

The total came in at $35,317,981.10, a sum Debattista says will “Trickle down for generations.”

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He and his wife occasionally play the lottery and the winning ticket came from a Free Play from the week before. It was purchased at a Hasty Market on Queen Street in Brampton.

Debattista was scanning his ticket while his wife of 23 years was purchasing a ticket for the Lotto 6-49. When they found out how much they had won, they went right home to share the news with their three daughters and other members of their family.

“I was in such shock, I couldn’t get my keys in the door because I was shaking so much,” Debattista said.

The money will go toward a family trip and helping the Debattista children with education costs and setting them up for the future.

“I’ll also be helping out family and friends — there are a number of people in our lives that have been very supportive of us through some tough years in the past,” Debattista said. “And I’ll be picking out an anniversary present for my wife — what woman doesn’t love diamonds?”

Debattista is a mechanic at a local car dealership and doesn’t plan on quitting any time soon, saying working will help him think and keep a sense of normalcy in his life.