Lucky lessons at Masterton Lotto

People visiting Wairarapa's luckiest Lotto shop in Kuripuni to buy a ticket for tomorrow's $34million Lotto Powerball jackpot, have humble ideas on how to spend the money if they win.
The manager of Kuripuni Take Note Lotto and Post Shop, Maureen Taute, believes people have learned from the Irish Luck syndicate Big Wednesday $36million winners in 2009, who gave a slice of their huge winnings to charity. "They set a really good precedent. I think they handled themselves so well."
Take Note sold the Big Wednesday ticket, among other big winners including an $837,000 Strike, $5.5 million Powerball, $500,000 Lotto, and a $100,000 Lotto win two weeks ago.
"We would not believe our luck if we sold the winning ticket for the $34 million," Ms Taute said.
Marie Smith of Masterton said she would retire and she and her husband would go overseas for a holiday. "I wouldn't know what to do. I think it would take a while to decide," she said.
Tomorrow's jackpot grew after nobody won the accumulated $28 million first-division Powerball last weekend. Once the jackpot tops $30 million, it must be won.
If one winner gets the lot it will be the biggest prize for a single Powerball winner. If nobody wins the first-division Powerball prize, it rolls down to the next-highest Powerball division in which there are winners.
Tomaz Gasper of Masterton said he would like to see the prize roll down so more people could win.
"I think it would be better if it wasn't won in first division. I'd like to see it split between a few people instead of one person getting the whole lot."
If he won the money he would pay off his debts, retire and give away $5 million straight away.
"I have a house, and I think if you have a comfortable income to support you and your kids, what's the point in buying things you don't need?" he said.
Masterton man Ray Wallace has just one plan for his winnings.
"I would stick the whole lot in Bonus Bonds for a year so nobody would know I had it."
Faye James from Carterton said she would give a fair bit of the money away and retire happily. Betty Knott from Masterton, who is a Christian, said she would put a fair chunk of money into God's work.
"I would give a lot of it away and live on the interest and see my children set up."
Since Powerball was introduced in 2000, the number drawn most often is 1. But when the top prize is struck, number 3 is the luckiest.