The winner, who has decided to keep his identity a secret, stopped off on his way home from work to purchase his ticket from Pak N Save Papamoa for the Lotto draw on Wednesday 21st September. He kept it safe at home before finally checking it a couple of days later and discovering his good fortune. However, he still went to work as usual as he digested the news and reflected on the extra wait in the shop which he feels may have been the reason for his big win.
“I was waiting in line at the the Lotto shop and another customer nipped in front of me,” said the lucky player in a written statement from Lotto New Zealand. “I wasn’t in any hurry, so I just let them go ahead and didn’t say anything. I guess good karma pays off - if that hadn’t happened, they might have had the winning ticket not me.”
While a Lotto New Zealand spokesperson has stated that ticket sales and the live draw are both undertaken on a random basis and subsequently the player’s place in the queue would not have made a difference, the winner feels that he has been rewarded for his patience and is now looking forward to making the most of his new-found wealth.
The winner, who spent a whole day at work knowing that he had won before telling his wife, said: “The win has made it possible for us to buy a home of our own - we’re so excited! We’re not too sure what else we’ll do just yet. But whatever we end up deciding, we know the win will make a massive difference to our family - we’re just absolutely thrilled.”
New Zealand Lotto offers a first division prize of NZ$1 million in every draw, as well as great rewards across five other prize tiers. The game is played every Wednesday and Saturday night and players across the country will be rushing out to buy tickets for the next game this weekend, perhaps even hoping that someone nips in front of them in the queue!