A Whitby man who’s been playing lottery games for more than 30 years scored his first big win in a recent Lotto Max draw.

Dave Sankersingh plans to pay bills, help his son with his school tuition and travel. He took home a second-place prize of $72,646.60 in the Jan. 28 draw.

Sankersingh, a mechanic, was thrilled to share the news of his first big win, according to a news release from the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. (OLG).

“I’d stopped at the convenience store and used their ticket checker to scan my Lotto Max ticket. That’s when I discovered I’d won big,” he recalled. “At first, I couldn’t believe it and scanned my ticket a few more times to be sure.”

Sankersingh shared the news with his family, a few friends and coworkers. “Everyone was excited and congratulated me,” he added.