“The person on the phone read out the winning numbers as I checked them on my ticket,” the woman said.
“I had all six and she asked me if I knew what that meant – but I didn’t.
“That’s when she told me the prize for that draw was $500,000. I was absolutely speechless and almost in tears.”
After telling her husband, the couple confirmed the win using the MyLotto app.
“That’s when he started to believe it was true and tucked it into his wallet for safekeeping,” she said.
“I joked with him saying, ‘hey, what’s wrong with keeping it in my bag – it’s been safe there for months’.”
The ticket even travelled overseas with her.
“I can’t believe I was basically carrying around a bag with $500,000 in it. I call this my magic bag now.”
The couple plan to buy their first home with the winnings.
“This changes everything for us. I just don’t have words for how that feels,” the woman said.
Lotto NZ was able to track the winner through a MyLotto account linked to a card used during the bonus ticket transaction.
Lotto NZ head of corporate communications Will Hine said when the woman claimed her bonus ticket, she also bought another ticket using a card.
“That card was registered to a MyLotto account, which had a phone number listed,” he said.
“That gave us enough information to reach out and ask some questions – and luckily she still had the ticket.
“We’re really happy to know that this prize is going to make such a difference in their lives.”
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