A Tauranga man has detailed how he “went off like a rocket” after winning $10.3 million in Lotto Powerball's draw on Saturday.
One half of the couple, who are regular Lotto players, has a well-established routine for checking their tickets.
“I always check the ticket on a Sunday morning – never on the night of the draw. I love holding onto the suspense a bit longer, and going to bed imagining that I could have a big winning ticket waiting for me in the morning,” he said.
The man’s wife saw online on Saturday night that a MyLotto player from the Bay of Plenty had won the top prize.
“I thought, ‘that’s pretty close to home’, but didn’t think too much about it, to be honest,'” she said.
“I know how much he enjoys checking his tickets the next day, so just kept the news to myself.”
The man checked his ticket on the Lotto app as usual on Sunday morning, unaware of how their lives were about to change.
“I saw the numbers circling off on my ticket straight away – there was no missing it. When the fourth number was circled, that’s when the yelling started! But when I saw all six winning numbers and the Powerball number circled on one line, I went off like a rocket,” he said.
“My wife and I stood there staring at the phone – there was a lot of yelling and crying, as well as plenty of shaking and laughing. We were absolutely blown away – it was just unbelievable.”
After the excitement settled down and the couple claimed their prize, the pair went on with their day as usual.
“We tried to keep our day as normal as possible while we let the news sink in – but all day we just kept looking at each other and laughing,” the man said.
“We did take some time to celebrate though and headed for a nice lunch complete with a bottle of bubbles. It was a Sunday we’ll never forget, that’s for sure!”
The couple are looking forward to making the most of their winnings.
“We’re going to take things one step at a time and make sure both ourselves and the family are well set up for the future. There will definitely be plenty of holidays ahead for us, once we can travel again though!”
The pair want to use the prize to offer a helping hand to their loved ones.
“Some of them have done it tough through Covid-19, so we’re really looking forward to being able to throw a bit of joy their way too.”
The winning ticket was sold on MyLotto for the draw on Saturday, November 20.
The prize is made up of $10 million from Powerball First Division and $333,333 from Lotto First Division.
SHARE ME