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Gino DiFelice of Brantford, Ontario, turned a cheeky wager of $5 into the life-changing windfall of $725,254 when he correctly picked the outcome of 15 NFL games a week ago, with that 15th win coming courtesy of the highest-profile and most debated decision laid down by any of the stand-in refs.
When the substitute crew controversially ruled that the Seattle Seahawks' Golden Tate had scored a game-winning touchdown to beat the Green Bay Packers, DiFelice secured a payout big enough to fund a few referees' retirement plans.
As he collected his check from the Ontario gaming authority's headquarters, DiFelice didn't care that the majority of the viewing audience – the ones with functioning eyesight – believed the Packers' M.D. Jennings had secured a legitimate interception on the game's final play.
Neither was the lucky winner's delight tempered by the fact that it was his 12-year-old daughter who provided the expert analysis needed to secure the blockbuster check.
"When the play was under review I couldn't believe what was happening," he told reporters. "When the call was made, I went nuts. I ripped open the envelope.
"Every week I do a ticket with my picks and then I ask my kids who they like. I do one ticket each with their picks. The winner was the ticket my daughter consulted me on. The funniest part is, the ticket I made all of the picks myself, I only got four right.
"I watched the last 1:48 and that's about it. I couldn't watch the rest of the game."
Multi-game accumulators are allowed as part of the lottery system in Canada, with the money pooled together and distributed among any winners. DiFelice was the only winner that week and the payout was the third largest in the game's history.
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