A lucky lotto player won $1 million thanks to a free ticket.
The Waikato man won a bonus ticket from last Wednesday's Powerball draw but on Sunday realised that free ticket had made him a millionaire.
"I went and checked my ticket on Thursday after the draw and the man
behind the counter told me I had won a Bonus ticket, which I was quite happy with. So I popped it in my wallet and totally forgot about it," said the winner.
The man in his 30s, who wishes to remain anonymous, said he couldn't stop shaking after hearing the news.
On Sunday he remembered about the free ticket and decided to check it.
"I was at home sitting on the couch relaxing when I saw the Lotto ticket poking out of my wallet, so I decided to check it on the App.
"When I scanned it, it came up with the message 'major prize winner' which I'd never seen before - I thought I might've have won a couple of hundred dollars at the most!" laughed the winner.
The man then jumped into his car and went to the Lotto store to claim his prize.
"As soon as I walked in the man behind the counter yelled out "Are you our winner?" I just laughed it off as I wasn't aware they had sold a big prize at this point and handed over my ticket," said the man.
"The next thing I knew, the music was playing and he is telling me I had won $1 million. I was in complete shock, and so was he - I just started shaking uncontrollably," said the winner.
The Lotto operator then pointed out to the man that he had won his prize off a Lotto Bonus ticket.
"He just kept pointing at the ticket and saying "Look, look, you won $1million off a free ticket!"
Shaken but excited, the man returned home and called his parents to tell them the good news.
"I made sure they were sitting down before I told them. They thought I was pulling their leg for a while there!" said the winner.
The man said he planned to use his prize to buy a house.
"Never in a million years I would I have thought this would happen to me. I feel so fortunate - it really is a dream come true!" said the winner.
The winning ticket was sold at Grey Street Supermarket in Hamilton.
This is the second Lotto First Division win for the Waikato in two weeks. It follows on from a $1 million win for a Hamilton mum on Mother's Day.