Family Man Sheds “lots Of Tears” After Winning $24.25 Million

A “family man” is “over the moon” after winning a tremendous $24.25 million last week.

The lucky winner, who wishes to remain anonymous, is a regular player who bought a Triple Dip while on a trip to Wellington.

“I bought the ticket on Wednesday and didn’t get around to checking it until Monday,” the man said.

Despite not watching the draw or knowing the winning numbers, the man had a “sneaky suspicion” that his yellow ticket was the jackpot-winning ticket.

“I’d heard from family that the winner had bought the ticket from the same shop I had, so I couldn’t wait to check it,” he explained.

“I hurriedly went to the store to check, and when the store person confirmed I was the winner, I yelled, ‘Oh my gosh!’

“I was jumping up and down. I didn’t know what to do with my hands and didn’t trust myself not to start screaming and shouting,” the man said.

After filling in the Prize Claim Form amid “lots of tears,” the man surprised his family with the happy news. “They couldn’t believe it. We’re all so excited.”

The man is slowly adjusting to life as Aotearoa’s latest multi-millionaire. “I’m still trying to get my head around it, but I plan to take it one step at a time. I’m definitely not going to rush out and buy 10 new cars or anything.”

“My family and I will sit down and have a chat about it next week,” the man said. “We hope to make some wise decisions about the things we need and the things we want – and the needs will come first.”

And at the top of the list? “Paying off our debts and making some good investments,” the man said.

Notes for editors:

• The winning $24.25 million Powerball First Division ticket was sold at Woolworth Wainuiomata in Lower Hutt for the draw on Saturday 7 October.
• The winner would like to remain anonymous and does not wish to provide any further comment at this stage.
• This is the twelfth Powerball First Division winner of 2023.
• The $24.25 million Powerball prize is made up of $24 million from Powerball First Division and $250,000 from Lotto First Division.

Powerball wins in 2023

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