The Patel family, owners of Albany Village Superette speak to the herald about selling a winning $30 million dollar lotto ticket.
Video / NZ Herald
A family on Auckland’s North Shore have claimed their massive $30.2 million prize after striking it big on Lotto Powerball last month.
Lotto said the man who bought the winning Powerball ticket brought some of his children with him to Lotto headquarters as heclaimed the seventh-equal largest prize in Lotto NZ history.
”I still can’t believe this is actually real,” said one of the man’s daughters.
“It feels like someone’s going to pop their head in at any moment and tell us it’s all a big joke.”
The man is a regular player who picked up his usual ticket at the Albany Central Superette four weeks’ ago for the October 23 draw.
The family cheered and chanted “30 million, 30 million” from Lotto NZ’s winner’s room yesterday as they claimed their prize.
The ticket purchaser – who is not one for regularly checking his tickets – said he stashed the ticket in the top of his wardrobe at home.
“I actually texted Dad the day after the draw when I saw a prize had been won at the store and asked if it was him. He replied with, ‘Nope, not me, unfortunately!’” one of his daughters said.
But as time went on and the prize had still not been claimed, the man had an inkling he may have won.
“After a week, I heard the prize still wasn’t claimed so I started to think it could be me, and then when it still hadn’t been claimed after another week, I was maybe 70% sure I had the winning ticket,” he said.
”I pulled out my phone and checked it. It flashed up ‘major prize winner’.”
The man then visited the store to find out the magnitude of his win.
The winning $30.2 million ticket was sold at Albany Central Superette for the October 23 draw.
”I said to the woman in the store, ‘I think you better check this for me’, and that’s when the music played. She burst into tears, she was so happy for me.”
He went home to process the news before telling his family they were multi-millionaires.
From Lotto HQ, the winner received a video phone call from his mother - whom he had not yet broken the news to.
“I’m at the Lotto office, Mum,” the man said, as his family gathered behind him to see her reaction.
“I’ve won some money ... I’ve won $30 million.”
The room erupted with cheers and laughter as the winner’s mum gasped in disbelief.
The man said looking to the future, the most important thing was that his family is looked after.
”I’m just so happy for my family – all I could have asked for is that they are looked after, and now I know they will be. My kids and my grandkids will be comfortable.”
He said he had a few toys on his wish list after his family were sorted.
“I need a new car, I’d also like to get a motorbike and a ride-on lawnmower… oh and maybe even a boat in the future.”
This is the 17th Powerball winner, and the second-largest prize won by a single ticket this year so far.
