A brief history of Lotteries throughout the ages. Video / NZ Herald
An Auckland man hasn't stopped giggling and fist-pumping after his $21 million win with Lotto Powerball First Division this weekend.
The man, who wished to remain anonymous, picked up his regular Lotto ticket on MyLotto just before the draw closed on Saturday night.
"It was late on Sunday evening whenI finally got around to checking my ticket and it didn't take long to realise I was onto something," he said.
"Watching all the numbers being circled on one line of my ticket felt like a bit of an out-of-body experience. I sat there staring at my phone asking myself, 'am I really seeing this?'"
"But when it finished circling the numbers and up popped a message saying I had won a major prize, I definitely said a couple of colourful words!"
Wanting to make absolutely sure, the Aucklander called Lotto NZ on Monday to confirm.
"Since then, I've been walking around giggling to myself and fist pumping quietly – it's absolutely surreal," said the man.
"The first person I told was my Mum. When I showed her the winning amount on my phone, she said, 'you've won $21?' – I said, 'no Mum, there are a few extra zeroes there – take another look!'"
After an initial bout of online shopping, the man said he would use the money to set up his future and take care of his mother and close friends.
The $21 million winning Powerball ticket was sold on MyLotto and was made up of $20 million from Powerball First Division and $1 million from Lotto First Division.
This was the first Powerball win of 2022 and came about a month after an Auckland woman won $17.2 million with Powerball.
