This story was first published on Friday August 17.
A young man from Central Otago has come forward and claimed the largest Powerball prize ever won in the South Island, saying he bought the ticket on a whim.
The winner, who is in his 20s, bought the $22.3 million winning ticket just before the draw on Wednesday night.
"I was scrolling through Facebook when I saw a post that Powerball was $22 million that night. I thought that would be pretty sweet, so I bought a ticket through the Lotto NZ App and didn’t think any more of it," the winner told Lotto NZ.
Despite Central Otago buzzing with news of the big win the following day, it wasn’t until last night that the winner thought to check his ticket.
"I hadn’t heard anything about it to be honest! I was hanging out with my best mate after work when I remembered I’d bought a ticket, so figured I might as well check it.
"I watched the numbers circle off on my ticket. After the first couple I thought that’s pretty lucky. Then I saw all six numbers circled and lined up in a row and didn’t really know what to think – then the Powerball came as well," he said.
Not sure what he was seeing, the winner turned to his friend to double check.
"I said, 'mate – I think I’ve won Powerball… is this real?'
With the idea of winning still on his mind, the winner gave his parents a call.
"Mum and Dad didn’t believe me – it’s the kind of thing I’d pull, so they chalked it up to a joke.
"The whole thing felt a little too good to be true, so I just put my phone down and went to bed."
But when the lucky winner woke up this morning, he started to realise just how lucky he had become.
"I woke up to a message from my Dad with a link to an article saying a $22.3 million Powerball prize had been won in Central Otago with a MyLotto ticket – that’s when I realised what was happening, there are only so many times it can be a coincidence.
"I logged into MyLotto and claimed the prize, then decided to give Lotto NZ a call and get to the bottom of things. When they confirmed that I was the big winner I was in absolute shock."
With the reality of his big win beginning to feel real, the lucky winner is looking forward to planning his future.
"I want to buy a house with some land… maybe a boat. The big thing for me is making sure I really set myself up for the future – this prize is an unbelievable opportunity and I am going to make the most it," he told Lotto NZ.
The winning Lotto ticket was sold online at MyLotto for the 15 August draw
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