A Dunedin couple are celebrating Christmas early after discovering they won a whopping $8.25 million in Powerball while at a family BBQ.
The couple, who wish to remain anonymous, were enjoying a night in with friends and family when they all decided to check their Lotto tickets.
"We got our MyLotto Apps out and checked, and our friends all joked they'd have to go to work on Monday," the man said.
"But when we checked our ticket, we saw we were a Major Prize Winner. We thought we might have won $1000 or something.
"We pressed the button to claim, and all of a sudden, we saw all these zeros!" the man said.
"I just about fell over," the woman added.
"We couldn't believe it - and neither could our family! My sister thought we'd won $8.25," the woman said. "We definitely checked it more than once to make sure."
The couple claimed their ticket and celebrated with their loved ones before returning to work the next week.
"We were jumping up and down and making a bit of noise," the man laughed.
He added they "plan to keep working" because they enjoy their jobs, but the win has taken the pressure off.
"But now we can do all the things on our bucket list. We don't have to worry about the small things - this will make life more comfortable."
The lucky couple plan to travel overseas and help their family and friends with their win.
It comes after a lucky Aucklander won $1 million in Lotto First Division on Wednesday.
The winning ticket was sold at New World Papatoetoe in Auckland.
Powerball was not struck on Wednesday and has rolled over to Saturday night, where the jackpot will be a huge $8 million.
Meanwhile, a lucky Strike player from Hamilton will also be celebrating after winning $200,000 with Strike Four. The winning Strike ticket was sold at New World Te Rapa in Hamilton.
