Keep luck to yourself, says big winner

File photo / Daily Post

Lotto winner Raymond has a simple piece of advice for anyone who wins big - don't tell anyone.

The 62-year-old won more than $8 million two years ago but only a handful of people know - his wife, two children "and, of course, the bank manager, the accountant and the solicitor".

"We decided not to tell other people how much we'd won because jealousy can make some people strange.

"Friends and family know we've won, but not how much. That doesn't mean we can't help them."

Tonight's Powerball has a $28 million jackpot which, if won, will be the second-biggest Powerball prize.

Raymond, whom the Weekend Herald has agreed not to identify, said he would advise anyone who hit the jackpot to splash out on sleeping pills.

"You'll need them - I didn't sleep for the first couple of nights."

Raymond was working as a grounds maintenance man and was an occasional Lotto ticket buyer.

Two years ago he strolled into his local dairy to scan his ticket.

"I gave it to the shopkeeper, who checked it and gave me a funny look. Then she told me how much it was.

"I called my wife and said, 'Are you sitting down?' She said, 'Oh no, you've had an accident'."

When Raymond convinced his wife he was okay and said they had won Lotto division one, her first question was, "Who can we help?"

Since then, the couple have stuck to the plan not to tell anyone - but they have developed a method of gifting by stealth.

"We do things like tell friends and family we have accrued frequent flyer points that we can't use, then quietly pay for them to have a good holiday," Raymond said.

The Bay of Plenty couple also give annually to a selection of local charities, including rescue helicopter services and hospices.

But they say they have not let the money change them.

They live in the same house and have invested lots of the money - Raymond said his $8.25 million win had grown to $10 million.

Although they bought a new car, they resisted the temptation of splashing out on a Mercedes. "That would have been too flashy," said Raymond.

There have been some changes; Raymond gave up work, and overseas travel is now more frequent and no longer in "sardine class".

Raymond said the biggest change was a mental one - and one that he still can't get used to two years on.

"I still have moments when I forget. My wife buys something and my first thought is, 'We can't afford it'.

"Then I have to remind myself that we can afford it and we are lucky enough not to have to worry about money."

Raymond said he could not shake off the mentality of saving for a rainy day and making sure he had enough for when he was old."I have to remember there won't be rainy days - and I'm already old."