A Paraparaumu man got the surprise of his life when he discovered he had won $4.3 million with Powerball First Division.

The winner, who wishes to remain anonymous, picked up his soon-to-be winning Lotto ticket early last week as part of his usual routine – never imagining just how lucky that ticket would end up being.

“I just bought the same ticket I usually do and really didn’t think anything of it. Everyone imagines what it would be like to win, but I never seriously thought it would happen,” said the man.

But as news of the local win spread and Lotto players checked their tickets, the lucky winner had no idea Powerball had been struck in his town – let alone that the little yellow ticket tucked in his wallet was the one everyone was looking for.

“I just popped into the Lotto shop as I usually do to check my ticket and pick up one for the next draw – I had absolutely no idea Powerball had been won, let alone that Kapiti Knitting and Lotto had sold the winning ticket,” said the man.

“I handed my ticket to the lady at the counter and she ran my ticket through the terminal. That’s when she looked at me and said, ‘You better pop into the back office with me,” the man said.

It was there that the man discovered just how lucky he had become.

“When she told me I’d won $4.3 million… well, I didn’t believe her! I was in complete shock – we both were actually, I think the operator was as surprised as I was,” laughed the man.

With the prize officially claimed, the lucky winner headed home to share the good news.

“The first thing I did when I got home was call my daughter to share the big news. She didn’t believe me at first – she just kept saying, ‘No, no, no’. She definitely took a bit of convincing, but I got there in the end, ” laughed the man.

With the prize now safely in the winner’s bank account, the lucky man is looking forward to enjoying his winnings.

“I’m going to take some time to really think things through – I want to make the most of the prize, and make sure the whole family is set up for the future,” said the man.

“It still doesn’t feel real – I think it will take awhile to sink in. All I know now is that I feel incredibly lucky.”

The winning ticket was sold at Kapiti Knitting and Lotto for the draw on Wednesday 3 November 2021.

The prize is made up of $4 million from Powerball First Division and $333,333 from Lotto First Division. 
 

Powerball wins in 2021

© Scoop Media