Mystery Lotto Powerball winner: Auckland man claims $4.5m prize weeks after draw - ‘It was in my bag the whole time’

An Auckland man has claimed a $4.5 million Powerball prize more than two weeks after winning.

The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, said he had no idea the prize had even been won, let alone that it was unclaimed, leaving him in “shock” and his family in disbelief.

It wasn’t until he stopped by the Glen Innes dairy where he bought the ticket, two and a half weeks later, that he finally checked.

“I didn’t know anyone from Auckland had won – never mind that it hadn’t been claimed. It was in my bag the whole time, coming with me to and from work and wherever else I’ve been,” he said in a Lotto statement.

He said he only buys a ticket occasionally and usually checks them when he’s back at the shops.

When it was revealed that he was a winner of the life-changing prize, he was in “shock”.

“The Lotto operator said, ‘Ah, we’ve been waiting for you – come with me’, and took me out the back. That’s where they told me I’d won $4.5 million,” he said.

“I think I was in shock – I just couldn’t believe it.”

He gathered his family to tell them later that evening.

“He said, ‘Hey, can you come here? I’ve got something I need to tell you,’” said one of his family members.

“When he told us, I just waited … expecting him to turn around laughing and say ‘jokes’! But he didn’t – he was very serious!”

The man plans to enjoy the feeling and buy a home for his family.

“There will be a lot of decisions to make, so I know I need to take time to really think things through,” he said.

“The main thing I want to do is buy a home for my family – that’s always been a dream of mine – and later we’d love to go on a big family trip together.”

The winning Powerball numbers were first revealed on February 18.

The man’s prize was $4m for winning Powerball first division and $500,000 for Lotto first division.