26 March 2018

Wairarapa couple claim $12.5 million Powerball prize

A Wairarapa couple have come forward and claimed the $12.5 million Powerball prize that has had Masterton abuzz for over a week.

The winners, who wish to remain anonymous, bought the winning ticket when they were in Masterton earlier this month.

“I spotted Kuripuni Lotto and Post Shop while we were in town and just knew I had to get a ticket – they’re such a lucky store,” said the winner.

As news of the win spread through the town on Sunday morning, the couple never imagined that the little yellow piece of paper tucked in their bag was the ticket everyone was searching for.

“When we found the store had sold the big one, my husband turned to me and said ‘Did you get a ticket there?’” the winner said.

“She turned to me and said, ‘Of course – and it’s the winning one’. We both cracked up, not realising how right she was,” laughed her husband.

Despite knowing about the big win, it took the winner a few days before she remembered to check her ticket.

“I finally had a bit of time, so grabbed my phone and scanned the ticket using the Lotto NZ App. It whirled for a second, then ‘Major Prize’ popped up on my screen – I couldn’t believe it.”

Her mind buzzing, the winner called her husband over to share the good news – but he needed some convincing.

“When I showed him the message he was convinced we’d won a Second Division prize and asked me what the winning numbers were.

“That’s when I realised I hadn’t actually looked at the numbers, so I checked them right then and there to prove him wrong,” the winner laughed.

“I pulled up the results and the winning numbers on my ticket jumped out at me – you couldn’t miss them. I circled them off, bang-bang-bang, and showed him the ticket. We just stood there staring at each other through teary eyes.”

The couple sat on their good news for over a week before claiming their prize.

“It’s such a massive win, so we wanted to get our heads around it before we claimed the prize. Now we can finally celebrate!”

With $12.5 million now sitting in their bank account, the couple are looking forward to enjoying their winnings.

“We don’t have any major plans at the moment – it’s all a bit new. This prize is such a blessing and we want to make the most of it – for ourselves and our family.”

The winning ticket was sold at Kuripuni Lotto and Post Shop in Masterton for the draw on Saturday 17 March.

ENDS

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