A casual Lotto player who pocketed a million-dollar windfall last weekend has spoken of their shock when they discovered they'd scooped the First Division prize.
The anonymous Queenstown player revealed they partake in Lotto occasionally but had only purchased a ticket for last week's draw after their friend mentioned buying one.
After the draw on Saturday night, the winner read in the news that a Queenstown player had won the $1 million. The player checked their ticket on the MyLotto app and couldn't believe their eyes when the numbers began lining up.
"That's when I thought, that might actually be me," they said. "I started to wonder how many zeros are in a million and had to count them a few times, just to be sure."
The winner said they had to watch the numbers line up several times before it truly dawned on them that they were the winner.
Their first thought? "I can pay off my student loan!"
After a sleepless night, the player said they once again checked the app in the morning to make sure it was absolutely, undisputably real.
"A win like this doesn't come by often. I will take some time to think it through and get financial advice on how to make the most of it," they added.
The winning Lotto First Division ticket was sold on MyLotto for the draw on Saturday, May 4.
