Adam Conti has done it again.
Soon after visiting the OLG Prize Center in Toronto in October to collect $157,659, the Brantford resident was back last week for $124,594.50.
It’s the fourth major payout Conti has claimed in less than a year playing the OLG’s POOLS sports game. He won $90,445 last November, followed on Dec. 2 by a win of $88,585.
The 38-year-old city realtor and father of two said he knew he won right away after watching the last game.
“I was overcome with this surreal feeling,” he said.
“I am truly thankful for this windfall. My wife was very happy for me as well.”
Conti said he plans to take his family on a vacation.
In an earlier interview with The Brantford Expositor, he said he has won about a dozen times in the past year, the majority with less substantial payouts.
Conti said he spends up to 15 hours a week analyzing – he almost exclusively bets on football – his picks.
“I like the prep needed to study for an exam,” he said.
“I take it that seriously. I love the analysis, being able to analyze little nuisances in a team’s game plan. If you really love sports, you have to put in the time. You have to go with your gut – the favorites don’t always win.”
Conti and his brother, Alex, who work as a real estate team in the city, recently established a fund through the Brant Community Foundation to help support organizations dedicated to children’s and youth’s mental health. The brothers plan to donate five per cent of their gross commissions this year to Lansdowne Children’s Centre.
Conti said he and his brother decided to set up the Aparecida Conti Fund, named in honor of their mother, after noticing a decline in the mental health of young people during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said naming the fund after his mom is apropos because she nurtures all the children in their “big Italian family.”
Conti said his love of football began when he was about five and living in Jamestown, NY His father would take him to watch Buffalo Bills training camps and the family would gather on Sundays to watch games. The Bills are still his favorite team.
Conti has been sports betting for about 18 years but says this season has been remarkable.