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Auckland man claims $9.2 million Powerball prize
An Auckland man’s working day has gone from ordinary to extraordinary after discovering he is now $9.2 million richer thanks to Powerball.
The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, was having morning tea with colleagues when he decided to check his ticket online.
“I bought my ticket on MyLotto last night and totally forgot about it. I had no idea that someone had won the big one,” said the man.
Sitting down with a cup of coffee in hand, the man pulled out his phone and watched silently as each of the numbers on his ticket were circled.
“Ding, ding, ding, they all just lined up. Then I saw I had the Powerball number as well — it was incredible!” said the man.
With the words $9.2 million staring back at him, the man kept his cool and carried on with the conversation.
“I was buzzing with excitement on the inside, but I managed to keep it together and no one suspected a thing,” said the man.
Going back to his desk, the man made sure he had everything in order before heading to his car to call Lotto NZ’s Head Office.
“I made sure all the windows and doors were closed and then I called to check if I was the winner — I was so excited.”
“When they told me I was, I was in so much shock. It’s crazy to think I was just having coffee with friends and now I’m a multi-millionaire,” said the man.
With the $9.2 million Powerball prize officially claimed, the man is now thinking about how he might spend his winnings.
“It hasn’t sunk in at all yet, but I do know I want to help out friends and family and buy a house — it’s a life-changer!”
“There are also a few charities I would like to donate to as well. It feels great to be able to be in a position to help,” said the man.
As to whether the winner would be returning to work tomorrow?
“Most definitely. We have a running joke at work that if any of us ever won Lotto that we wouldn’t be in the next day— well, I guess I’ve already broken that promise as I was in bright and early today!
The winning ticket was sold on MyLotto for the Lotto draw on Wednesday 22 May.
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