A Timaru man had to stop himself from shouting "from the rooftops" on Sunday morning after winning $7.3 million with Lotto’s Powerball First Division.
The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, had been playing his own numbers for years when he decided to change up his routine with a Power Dip on Saturday.
He checked his ticket the following morning before getting out of bed, unaware there had been a winner announced.
“I didn’t even know that Powerball had been won – never mind that it was won in Timaru,” he said.
“I watched my ticket as one number circled, then two, three and four, until all of the numbers were staring back at me.”
The man was shocked to see $7,333,333 stamped at the top of his electronic ticket.
“I couldn’t believe it, I sat bolt upright and kept saying ‘oh my goodness’ over and over – you never think it’s going to be you.”
While he carried on with his usual Sunday routine after claiming his win, he said it was “so hard keeping it to myself while I was around town on Sunday”.
“You dream of this moment all your life, but I never realised how difficult it would be not to shout it from the rooftops.”
He said the win is “really going to help my family”, adding: “I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces when I share the news”.
The man said he’s also looking forward to “doing some fun stuff like taking some trips overseas”.
“But I think I’ll start right here in my backyard with a scenic flight around the beautiful South Island.”
SHARE ME