A Lotto ticket stuck inside a book for nearly two months has turned a West Auckland man into a multimillionaire with the forgotten bookmark worth $20.1 million.
The man bought the ticket at Blockhouse Bay Post Shop & Stationers for the July 25 draw, then slipped it between the pages and forgot about it.
He only found it again when he picked the book back up after a break from reading.
"I put the ticket straight into my wallet ready to check the next time I went to the shop," said the man, who wants to remain anonymous.
'I think I was in shock'
Even though he knew a big prize had been sold locally, the penny did not drop.
"I knew they had sold a big one - but you never think it's going to be you, do you? Even when I found the ticket, I didn't put two and two together."
When he scanned it at the shop's self-check machine, the screen "flashed major prize". It took the Lotto operator and the winning music to break the news to him.
"My first thought was that it was likely a few thousand dollars, it still didn't cross my mind that it would be $20 million," he said.
"He was more excited than me. I think I was in shock."
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The win is made up of $20 million from Powerball First Division and $111,111 from Lotto First Division.
It came from a $40 million jackpot, the largest of the year so far, which he shared with a young Auckland couple who claimed their half the same night.
He has not told anyone about the money yet but plans to tell close family soon.
"I'm going to take things slow and really think about what to do with this money. I do want to go on an overseas trip, but that's the only plan so far."
Lotto NZ head of corporate communications Will Hine said the lottery had urged Powerball players in the area to check their tickets in August after the prize sat unclaimed for weeks.
"We're so pleased the lucky winner found his ticket and checked it before we started the next stage of our search," Hine said.
"I can only imagine what it must have felt like to realise that his bookmark was worth $20.1 million."
Could your ticket be on a shelf somewhere?
Lotto NZ is now trying to track down the owner of another big prize, a $333,333 ticket sold at Four Square St Heliers for the June 27 draw.
"We'd love to get this prize to the rightful owner, so if you might have bought a ticket in St Heliers in Auckland a few months ago, please have a look for it - and maybe have a scan of your bookshelf," Hine said.
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