A Waikato man, who had never bought a Lotto ticket, won a $1 million prize on his first try.
He was among three people who each took home $1 million in a recent Lotto triple-dip promotion.
The man said he bought the ticket on a whim while at Woolworths in Auckland's Manukau City Mall with his son.
“I’ve never bought a Lotto ticket before,” he said. "My son was talking about Lotto, so when we were in the supermarket I bought my first ticket.”
After discovering he'd won, the man held onto his ticket tightly – even sleeping with it.
He went to claim his prize the next day, hands still "shaking" as he filled out the paperwork.
"I couldn’t believe it,” he said.
The man said it would likely be the first and only time he buys a Lotto ticket.
“One ticket, $1 million dollars… one is enough for me,” he said.
The other two winners were an Auckland man and an Otago man. Both bought their tickets through MyLotto.
“When I opened the MyLotto app and saw the ticket and the amount, I was blown away,” the Auckland man said. “I showed my partner straight away, and we both sat there in disbelief.”
The Otago man said it was "quite a shock" to discover he'd won.
“I’m not used to numbers that big," he said. “I’m still trying to come to terms with it – it hasn’t really hit just yet.”
He planned to take some time before making any major decisions, keeping "a little something" for himself. investing the rest and, "carry on as normal for now”.
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