Worker is hoping he’s winner’s date

The country’s latest Lotto winner could buy all the properties currently for sale in the New Plymouth suburb where the ticket was sold – and still have some money left over.

One lucky player, who bought their ticket from Bell Block Supermarket, won $24 million in Saturday’s draw.

Using asking prices and estimates from homes.co.nz, the cost to purchase the 17 properties is around $18,344,000 – leaving the winner with $5,656,000 left over.

The cheapest house on offer in the area is a twobedroom brick unit in Parklands Ave, which is going for offers over $479,000.

And the most expensive house currently on offer in the suburb is in the same street and is a brand new, three-bedroom home asking for buyer inquiries over $1.1m.

While no-one has yet claimed the win, Jassi Singh, a worker at the supermarket where the ticket was sold, knows exactly who he hopes the winner is.

Singh was busy selling tickets on Saturday when someone said ‘‘if I win the $24 million I’m taking you on a date’’.

‘‘And I’m like, ‘Oh, wow, where are we going?’ [and they said] ‘We’re going to Dubai to a Michelin-star restaurant’, so if that lady’s the winner she needs to come and see me,’’ Singh said on Sunday.

So how much would that date cost? About 1% of the winner’s new-found fortune, or around 2% if you include $100,000 each in spending money, which if you’ve got $24m you just might do.

First- class flights from Auckland to Dubai with Emirates will set the winner back $31,298 return.

Seven nights in the Royal Bridge Suite at the Atlantis The Palm – one of Dubai’s most expensive hotels – will cost upwards of $30,000 a night. So that’s $210,000 in accommodation.

Then there’s the dinner. A three-course meal at Stay by Yannick Alleno, one of Dubai’s two-star Michelin restaurants is around $1000 for two and would see

Singh and his date dining on a lobster appetiser and steak for the main.