A South Island Lotto winner nearly lost their winning first division ticket in the wind due to some risky behaviour.
The Lincoln, Canterbury, couple won $333,333 in last week's Wednesday draw after buying a triple dip "on a whim" that morning.
The man who bought the ticket stuffed it into his pocket after the purchase and rushed off to work.
He forgot to check it. Upon remembering on Sunday, the ticket was worse for wear.
"I'd been doing some water blasting at the weekend and my clothes had gotten drenched," the man, who wishes to remain anonymous, said.
"I found the ticket in my pocket and saw the numbers had already started to fade. So, I put it on the side of the truck for half a day to dry out. I didn’t think about it at the time, but it could’ve blown away!
"When we checked it on the app, we didn’t expect to see anything. But when we saw the words 'MAJOR WINNER' and that it was First Division.
"My wife just burst into tears!"
The couple told Lotto NZ they're still processing the win.
"It's especially lovely to have before Christmas. And it truly is life-changing for us – it gives us the opportunity to own our own home," the man said.
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