Store clerk wins $1M Ontario lottery

TORONTO, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- A convenience-store clerk has claimed a $1 million Ontario lottery prize, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. said Friday.

But because her job at Kim's Corner in Pembroke, Ontario, where lottery products are sold, Lorie Paul McLaughlin's claim was held up until an investigation was completed, Ontario Lottery and Gaming said.

The agency initially considered her prize an "insider win," officials said. Insiders include people who sell, redeem and distribute lottery products, or their family members and lottery employees, the agency said.

The agency later approved McLaughlin's claim, with one caveat -- payment will be withheld for 30 days to allow anyone with concerns to come forward.

McLaughlin will be eligible to receive the prize Oct. 10, the agency said.

"I was shocked when I discovered I won $1 million. I had to sit down," McLaughlin told lottery prize center staff in Toronto.

She plans to use the money to take a vacation and invest the rest, she said.