Lucky Whangarei shop sells winning Lotto ticket

Priti Patel and husband Hitesh sold a winning First Division Lotto ticket - again. Photo / Mikaela Collins

Priti Patel and husband Hitesh were pretty excited when they discovered they'd sold a winning First Division Lotto ticket - but it's not the first time the shop has sold winners.

In fact, the family could be a lucky charm.

A punter who purchased a Lotto ticket at the Patel Foodmarket on Kamo Rd is now $333,333 richer after winning First Division in Saturday night's draw. When Ms Patel found out yesterday the store had sold a winner, she was thrilled.

"I logged on in the morning and we saw the terminal message. I'm so excited, very happy. Hopefully it's a local. This is the biggest win," she said.

Last month the store sold two winning First Division Lotto tickets worth $166,667 each and Ms Patel's brother Ketan Patel sold a ticket which won $5.5m in Lotto's Powerball First Division at his store, Sunnyside Foodmarket in Kamo, in November.

"We started working here in October. The last few months are very lucky for us," Ms Patel said.

Ms Patel said because of the shop's location on a busy Whangarei road, the customers are a combination of people driving past and regulars.

"It's hard to say if it will be a local or out-of-towner because it's a holiday season. We've had a lot of people coming in and checking, more than usual.

They come in and say 'hopefully I am a winner' and when they're not a winner they say 'oh you didn't sell me the winning ticket," she said.

Two Lotto players from Central Otago and Rotorua also won $333,333 in Lotto First Division in Saturday's draw.

The recent win in Northland continues the winning streak of more than $10.1m in first and second division prizes in the region since August 20 last year.

* The winning Lotto numbers were 01, 02, 11, 31, 32, 38 with bonus ball 27 and Powerball 05.