An eight-day hunt for the winner of a $5.2 million prize has finally ended, with a Christchurch man being tracked down after buying the ticket on March 20.
The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, bought his ticket from Hornby Mall Lotto as part of his usual routine but he was, until today, unaware of his good fortune.
A statement from Lotto New Zealand today said the man "had been in the habit of buying a Dip ticket, he’d always played Powerball number 10. But for this draw, he had a change of heart and decided to play Powerball number five".
“Powerball number 10 wasn’t working for me, so I thought I’d try something different and go straight down the middle and use Powerball number five on a Dip ticket,” the man said.
“I always purchase my Lotto tickets from the same place each week, popping in before a draw. I reckon the Lotto lady there is my lucky charm.”
When he stopped by the store to check his ticket the lady who originally sold it to him scanned it and they were both pleasantly surprised to find that he was a winner. But he assumed it was a smaller prize.
“The lady directed me to a back room to deliver the good news. I couldn’t believe that I had just won $5.2 million. On my walk home from the Lotto store, I noticed that the world looked brighter, and people seemed happier. I haven’t had much sleep since.”
The man plans to keep working and is looking forward to helping set up his family.
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