17 August 2018
A young man from Central Otago has come forward and claimed the largest Powerball prize ever won in the South Island.
The winner, who is in his 20s, bought the $22.3 million winning ticket on a whim just before the draw on Wednesday
night.
“I was scrolling through Facebook when I saw a post that Powerball was $22 million that night. I thought that would be
pretty sweet, so I bought a ticket through the Lotto NZ App and didn’t think any more of it,” said the winner.
Despite Central Otago buzzing with news of the big win the following day, it wasn’t until Thursday evening that the
winner thought to check his ticket.
“I hadn’t heard anything about it to be honest! I was hanging out with my best mate after work when I remembered I’d
bought a ticket, so figured I might as well check it.
“I watched the numbers circle off on my ticket. After the first couple I thought that’s pretty lucky. Then I saw all six
numbers circled and lined up in a row and didn’t really know what to think – then the Powerball came as well,” said the
winner.
Not sure what he was seeing, the winner turned to his friend to double check.
“I said, ‘Mate – I think I’ve won Powerball… is this real?’” the winner said.
“I had a quick glance and told him there was no way, it’ll be $60 or something,” laughed the friend.
With the idea of winning still on his mind, the winner gave his parents a call.
“Mum and Dad didn’t believe me – it’s the kind of thing I’d pull, so they chalked it up to a joke. The whole thing felt
a little too good to be true, so I just put my phone down and went to bed,” said the winner.
But when the winner woke up this morning, he started to realise just how lucky he had become.
“I woke up to a message from my Dad with a link to an article saying a $22.3 million Powerball prize had been won in
Central Otago with a MyLotto ticket – that’s when I realised what was happening, there are only so many times it can be
a coincidence,” said the winner.
“I logged into MyLotto and claimed the prize, then decided to give Lotto NZ a call and get to the bottom of things. When
they confirmed that I was the big winner I was in absolute shock.”
With the reality of his big win beginning to feel real, the lucky winner is looking forward to planning his future.
“I want to buy a house with some land… maybe a boat. The big thing for me is making sure I really set myself up for the
future – this prize is an unbelievable opportunity and I am going to make the most it,” the winner said.
The winning Lotto ticket was sold online at MyLotto for the 15 August draw.
Background
This $22.3 million Powerball prize is the largest ever won on MyLotto and the largest prize won so far this year.
This is the second time in two years that a Powerball First Division prize has been won by a MyLotto player from Central
Otago, with a young couple from the area winning $18.2 million in February last year.
MyLotto has sold its fair share of major prizes over the years, with 11 MyLotto players winning big with Powerball First
Division since the site launched in 2008.
ENDS