A Christchurch man says he couldn't stop smiling after he found out he had won $5.5 million in Lotto.
The regular MyLotto player has been playing the same numbers for several years after he won a prize the very first time he played the numbers.
"I bought a Dip ticket about five years ago and won $90 on it - I figured the numbers were pretty lucky, so decided to adopt them as my lucky numbers and play them every week," he says.
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But he never imagined just how lucky those numbers would turn out to be.
"I saw the first couple of numbers circled off on my ticket and thought that was quite a good start, then they just kept coming. By the time the fifth number was circled I was making a fair bit of noise."
After taking a screenshot of his winning ticket, he rushed to tell his partner the good news.
"I couldn't stop smiling and laughing as I walked down the street, it must've been pretty funny to see. The whole thing was just so surreal and life-changing."
Now he is deciding what to do with the grand prize, although he admits he will be sensible with the winnings.
"We're not extravagant people and have always been careful with money, so we keep looking at things and thinking 'nah, that's too expensive' - then I catch myself.
"It's a life-changing prize and I want to make it last. But I know that we're going to buy a house and a new car, and help out the family. We might splash out on a nice holiday somewhere too," he says.
The winning ticket was purchased on MyLotto for the Lotto draw on Saturday, February 16.
Newshub.
