Southland Couple ‘thankful’ After Scoring $6.3 Million

A lucky Southland couple is still reeling after winning $6.3 million with Powerball First Division in last Wednesday’s (14 December) live Lotto draw.

“It doesn’t feel real. We’ve been on such a high,” the man said.

The Southland couple treated themselves to a Christmas promotion Triple Dip ticket early in the week, but on the night of the draw, they were in no hurry to check their ticket.

“I was watching the cricket when I heard it had been won in Southland, so I checked the site around 11 pm,” the man said.

“When all my numbers lined up, I stared at the screen for about fifteen minutes and walked around in a daze for another 45!”

Finally, the man stumbled to his room to share the unbelievable news with his wife.

“She was sleeping, and I just held my phone up to her face and said, ‘You need to look at this.’ She was like, ‘Are you serious?’ We haven’t had much sleep since,” the man said.

Although the couple had “talked about winning for years,” seeing those numbers line up and hearing the winner’s music play was a different ballgame altogether.

“It’s pretty surreal when stuff like this happens to everyday Kiwis,” the man said, a sentiment seemingly shared by those close to the winners.

“My mother cried when I told her, and my boss was great about it. He told me to enjoy the experience and joked that he probably wouldn’t see me next year,” the man laughed.

While the goal-oriented couple hasn’t had much time to celebrate apart from “a couple of celebratory beers,” they have plenty of ideas for the future.

“It’s great that money isn’t an issue now and we can just enjoy things. But mainly, we want to take care of our family and make sure our children and future generations have a comfortable life.”

© Scoop Media