Winning Lotto and becoming an instant multi-millionaire is not always easy - but it ain't half bad either.
Video / Mike Scott
The owners of a Whakatāne store think they might have the “lucky touch” after selling the winning $8.3 million ticket this weekend.
Sophie Fang from Whakatāne’s Halfway Store said she started “screaming” when she realised they sold the winning ticket. She hoped the lucky punter was a local.
She said their store, owned for nearly 12 years, was “lucky” as it had sold three First Division winners and last year’s $12m prize, the Strike First Division last month, and now this.
Fang said she felt they became lucky in the last few years, and while she wasn’t sure where it came from. She joked it was their “lucky touch” when passing on the tickets to punters.
She said that many people were excitedly checking their tickets today.
While the winner still hadn’t been in yet, Fang hoped they were local and that they would be able to congratulate them.
She thought they might not come into the store to claim it out of fear of being recognised.
Fang said she’d celebrate on behalf of the winner with champagne and chocolates.
The first Powerball multi-millionaire of 2023 was an Aucklander who netted $23.5m in January, while one player in Lower Hutt won more than $24.2m in October.
