$333,333 for shocked Lotto winners; who’s No. 3?
Two lucky Hawke’s Bay Lotto players are overwhelmed after winning $333,000 each.
Three winning First Division tickets were sold in Napier on Saturday.
The first prize of $333,333 was claimed by a Napier man at Paper Plus in Taradale, who decided to check his ticket after his wife saw a notification in the news.
“She told me Napier had a very lucky week, but I didn’t check my ticket straight away — you never think it’s going to be you.
“About an hour later, I grabbed my ticket out of my wallet and scanned it through the Lotto NZ App. It whirled a bit, then came up with ‘Major Prize’ winner — even though it didn’t say just how much the prize was, I just knew straight away I was the winner,” he said.
The winner, who has been playing Lotto since “day one”, said he had won smaller prizes before, but this was the biggest he had ever claimed.
Surprisingly, he felt “pretty laid back” upon discovering how much he had won.
“It’s still early days. But we are going on a trip later this year, so might treat ourselves to a fancier hotel now.”
The second prize was claimed at New World Onekawa by a Napier woman who said she was completely blown away.
“My husband and I had no idea we had the winning ticket — we hadn’t even heard a prize had been won in the area, let alone three. We normally go and check our ticket on a Sunday morning and when I handed it over to the Lotto lady and she told me we had won First Division — my mind was completely blown!
“My husband and I started celebrating right then and there, crying and hugging at the shop — it was such a surreal moment. Later that evening, we all went out for a nice dinner to celebrate.”
The woman said she had been playing Lotto since she was 18 and had also won a few small prizes throughout the years, but nothing as much as $333,000.
“We’ve got a baby on the way so we’re planning on using the winnings to help our family get into our first home — it’s all very exciting,” she said.
The third winning prize, won at Ahuriri Four Square, is still to be claimed.
Anyone who purchased their Lotto ticket for the January 5 draw at the store should write their name on the back of the ticket and check it immediately in store at any Lotto retailer, online at MyLotto.co.nz or through the Lotto NZ App.