A Canterbury Lotto player had a lucky surprise when they realised the $17,250 Powerball ticket they had been so excited about the night before was in fact worth a whopping $17.25 million.
The winner, who wishes to remain anonymous, bought their ticket online through My Lotto on Saturday and checked it later that evening.
"All my numbers started to line up, and I thought, 'I'm going to win something – probably a bonus ticket'," they told Lotto NZ. "By the end, I was a bit confused and thought I'd only won $17,250."
It wasn't until the next morning that the winner made the astounding discovery.
"I had another look at the ticket and realised I'd actually won $17.25 million! I've got to get my eyes checked," they joked.
The winner said they felt "a bit silly" to miss all the zeros but added if they had known the night before they wouldn't have gotten much sleep.
The Cantabrian is the first Powerball winner of 2024.
"It's still sinking in. It's very exciting, but I’m not the sort of person who jumps up and down – I plan to carry on with life as normal," they said.
"I'm thinking of investing the money while I have a good think about what to do. There's no rush, and I don’t want to get carried away."
The winner said they money will help them enjoy a comfortable retirement in the future.
"I'm looking forward to it!" They said.
The $17.25 million Powerball prize is made up of $17 million from Powerball First Division and $250,000 from Lotto First Division.
Newshub.
