What would you do if you thought you’d won a major Lotto prize? The answer was simple for Greymouth’s newest Lotto
millionaire – jump online and Google “what to do if you win Lotto?”
The winner, who wishes to remain anonymous, had no idea just how much his regular Lotto ticket was worth until he
checked it using the self-checker at the Lotto counter at the supermarket on Saturday.
‘I saw ‘major prize winner’ appear on the screen and was pretty stunned. The supermarket was busy, so I slipped back to
my car and googled, ‘what to do if you win Lotto’,” laughed the man.
“I saw a comment from Lotto NZ saying to write your name on the back of the ticket immediately, so that’s what I did.”
Still sitting in the supermarket carpark, the man called his brother to check he had the right numbers.
“My brother went online and double checked that I had the right draw, then read the winning numbers back to me as I
carefully checked them off on my ticket. When I told him I had all six he got so excited and said, ‘I’m pretty sure
you’ve just won Lotto!’” said the man.
With the supermarket still looking busy, the winner’s brother suggested returning in the morning to claim the prize when
the store would be quieter.
So just where did the lucky winner keep his luck ticket that night?
“I normally just put my lotto tickets on a shelf, but once I knew this one had won a major prize, I didn’t want to risk
it getting lost somehow – so I tucked it straight into my wallet, nice and safe!” said the man.
The next morning the winner headed back to the shop to check his ticket – and sure enough, his yellow ticket was worth
$1 million dollars.
While the reality of his win is still sinking in, the winner is looking forward to paying off his mortgage and heading
on a few more holidays. As for his brother?
“I’ll definitely take my brother out for a drink when I see him next – we’ve definitely got to celebrate!”
The winning ticket was sold at Greymouth New World for the draw on Wednesday 7 April 2021.