A Nova Scotia woman who has been using the same lottery numbers for almost 28 years has finally hit the jackpot, winning a $5.3-million prize from Atlantic Lottery.

Olga Beno of Eastern Passage says she dreamed up the set of numbers in May 1989 and has been using them ever since.

She stuck to her trusty numbers when she purchased a Lotto 6/49 ticket for the Dec. 28 draw. However, it took her a day-and-a-half to realize she was the lucky winner, despite media reports about the winning ticket being sold in the Halifax area.

“I know my numbers by heart, and I thought I saw them on the television screen the evening after the draw, but my eyes aren’t good,” said Beno. “So I forgot about it.”

The next morning, Beno was chatting on the phone with her sister and flipping through the newspaper when she spotted her lucky numbers again.

“At first I thought – it can’t be. It’s a mistake in the paper. Then I said to my sister, ‘I think I won the lottery.’ She said, ‘Phone me back when you want to tell me the truth.’”

But it was true. Beno’s lucky numbers had finally come through, earning her one of two winning Lotto 6/49 tickets worth $5.3 million. The second ticket was sold in western Canada.

“If I had to describe how it feels in one word, I would say ‘magnificent,’” said the lotto winner.

More than 4.7 million tickets were sold across the country for the draw Beno won, but the odds of winning never really change. It’s about one in 14 million. 

However, when considering that she's been playing for those numbers for around 27 years now, her odds got a lot better.

Mathematician Jason Brown says there's no mystery in Beno’s numbers, especially if you factor in the hundreds of times she's played them.

“This works out to be about 0.0001,” Brown said. "It's much more likely than one in 14 million.  Still, she was a lucky person." 

Beno had to sell her home and began renting when she was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer 10 years ago. She says she plans to build an accessible ranch-style home with her winnings.

She says her husband and children helped her through her illness, so she also wants to spoil them and take them all to Disney World.

“I’m a big kid at heart.”

The Circle K in Eastern Passage sold the winning ticket. The retailer will receive a one per cent seller’s prize.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Bruce Frisko.