Powerball winner speaks: Hamilton woman claims $10.5 million prize

A Hamilton woman is now a multi-millionaire after she rummaged through her handbag and found an unchecked ticket.

When she checked the ticket, it was worth $10.5 million.

She had left it in her handbag, along with several other tickets, while she was on holiday.

“I hadn’t heard Powerball had been won. I was looking for something in my bag when the tickets fell out and I thought I’d better remember to check them when I went down to the shop,” the anonymous woman said.

When she handed her tickets to the clerk: “I won a few bonus lines on one, which was great, and then the clerk just stopped and looked at me, then back to the screen, and back to me again.

“I wondered what was going on. He said, ‘you’re our first division winner.’ I just said, ‘oh my god, oh my god, you’re kidding me?’

“I didn’t even know how much it was at that point, but I was so shocked – nothing like this has ever happened to me.

“I had to sit down – I was shaking like a leaf,” she said.

She said she was still too shocked to know what to do with the money.

“There’s no words – it’s just so unbelievable. I’m walking around with a great big grin on my face.

“I don’t have any plans yet, but I’m looking forward to celebrating and sharing the news with my family.”

The woman, who bought her ticket from Glenview Centre Lotto & Post Shop, is the third Powerball multi-millionaire of the year, coming weeks after a Taranaki couple won $8.3m and a Wellington couple won $7m.

What to do if you win

Ticketholders can see immediately if they have won if they purchased a ticket through MyLotto. Prizes of $1000 or less are automatically credited to the account.

For prizes of more than $1000, winners have to fill in an online prize form.

Results are available immediately after the live draws on TVNZ 1, which take place on Wednesday and Saturday nights.

They can also be found through the MyLotto app, online at www.mylotto.co.nz, at Lotto NZ retailers and on nzherald.co.nz.

Winners with a physical ticket must still visit a Lotto retailer to claim their prize.

For the Powerball jackpot to be claimed, a ticket-holder must get all six Lotto numbers correct as well as the added Powerball number.

If the jackpot is not claimed, it will roll over each draw until it is won, or reaches the must-be-won limit.

If more than one person wins Powerball, the jackpot is shared equally between the winning tickets.

Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.

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