21 July 2011

A regular Big Wednesday player checked his lottery tickets during his regular grocery shop to find he had won $4,667,251.

The Christchurch man, who wishes to remain anonymous, now plans to stop working and take early retirement with his windfall.

“I first checked my ticket at the Lotto counter ticket checker and it flashed up Division One winner. I then rushed to find my wife in the supermarket aisles and told her we might have won a million. To then be told I had won more than $4.6 million was a huge shock!

“I am looking forward to not having that alarm clock wake me up early in the morning. It will be great to sleep in and not worry about having to go work anymore,” he said.

The couple’s house was badly damaged in the February earthquake, so he and his wife have been living in temporary accommodation.

“This win will help us to rebuild our lives in Christchurch. We have no desire to leave the city, but we will be able to afford a few trips overseas now in order to get away,” he added.

The winning Big Wednesday First Division ticket was sold at Christchurch’s Pak N’ Save Moorhouse.

The total First Division prize package was worth $9,334,502 and was made up of $7 million cash, an Audi A4 Avant, an Aston Martin DB9, a $250,000 Platinum VISA card, $250,000 towards luxury travel, a luxury Four Winns Boat and $750,000 towards a bach. However, as there were two winners of this prize, the total cash value of the prize was split equally between them, meaning they each won $4,667,251.

ENDS

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