A Cambridge man was surrounded by his family when he discovered he had won $1 million with Lotto First Division.
The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, was attending a family gathering at the time and was shocked to find out he had won.
“I was the calmest one out of everyone there,” he says. “My Dad just went white and had to sit down. Everyone else was jumping around and screaming with joy. It was a special moment.”
The man’s family had gathered to mark the one-year anniversary of his grandad’s death. They were having a few drinks to commemorate him, when the man decided to check his online ticket on the Lotto NZ App.
“I said to my family ‘I feel like grandad is looking down on us tonight,’ before I checked my ticket. It was a surreal moment when it came up that we had won $1 million.”
The man, who buys a Lotto Triple Dip ticket every week, says winning Lotto has been an unbelievable experience, but it felt more real when the money was deposited into his bank account.
“The morning the money came through I walked outside and without saying anything, I showed my Mum my bank balance on my phone. To see $1 million in there was a very strange feeling.”
The man says the windfall will take the financial pressure off and help set him up long-term.
“I’ve always wanted to buy a Tesla so that’s the first item on my shopping list and then I want to buy my first home. It’s great to have that financial security.”
The winning ticket was sold on MyLotto for the Lotto Draw on Saturday, May 9.
