Whangārei retailer sells winning scratchie and Lotto ticket, both worth $200,000, in same week

Bhupen Patel said it felt pretty good to sell a winning lotto ticket and instant kiwi scratchie, both worth $200,000, in the same week. Photo/John Stone

Lady luck has struck twice in two days at one Whangārei Lotto retailer, providing $400,000 worth of prize money.

Sunnyside Foodmarket in Kamo sold a $200,000 winning Instant Kiwi scratchie, and a winning first division Lotto ticket, also worth $200,000 last week.

Bhupen Patel, who has been looking after the shop for owner and friend Ketan Patel and his wife Sejai for the past four weeks, said the scratchie came first.

"I sold it on Monday night, he claimed it on Tuesday morning."

The scratchie was a $10 crossword, and netted its holder $200,000.

Patel said the man who claimed it was a local man.

"He's a nice guy, he deserved it, he called his mum straight away."

More good news followed hot on its heels.

A ticket sold from the store was one of five to win $200,000 in Lotto First Division in last Wednesday's draw.

Patel said no one had come into the store to claim the prize, and he did not know if it had been claimed elsewhere or not.

He hoped it was a local who had won.

Asked how it felt to have the double win, Patel said: "It feels great."

It was good for business, he added.

He said some customers coming into the store had been calling them lucky.

"Especially two in a row, that doesn't really happen that much," Patel said.

He said they always tell their regular customers to come and check their tickets.

Two trophies acknowledging the two prizes had arrived and were on display behind the counter.

Bhupen Patel has told the store's owners about the back to back prizes. "They were happy."

Sunnyside Foodmarket have struck the big one before - selling a ticket which won $5.5 million in November 2016.

That prize was claimed by a Whangārei man.

"We don't want to rush into anything, so we're planning on investing most of it for a year or so. But we do want to pay off the mortgage and help the kids out - we might even splash out on a holiday next year," the winner said at the time.

"And I'll be retiring early now, that's for sure."

A Lotto spokesperson did not respond by edition time to confirm if the winning ticket from the March 27 draw sold at Sunnyside Foodmarket, has been claimed.

The other tickets were sold at Lincoln Rd Dairy in Auckland, Glen Innes Dairy and Lotto Outlet in Auckland, Brookfield Foodmart and Lotto in Tauranga and New World Motueka.

Other recent big lotto wins in Northland:
-$1m bought at Countdown Dargaville in December 2018
-$1m bought at Otaika Lotto & Post in August 2018
-$8.3m bought on MyLotto, in April 2018
-$1m bought at Countdown Dargaville in February 2018
-$1m bought at Countdown Tikipunga in September 2017
-$5.3m bought at Woody's Winners in Wellsford in December 2016
-$1m bought from Dargaville Postshop & Lotto in December 2016
-$5.5m bought at Sunnyside Foodmarket in November 2016