$1m NZ Lotto Winners Believed Win was only $1,000

A couple from Otago in New Zealand began to celebrate a $1,000 NZ Lotto win. Then they looked again and realized their March 9 win was $1 million.

Usually, they buy their Lotto tickets from a local shop. However, that’s all changed of late, and their tickets are now purchased online. That’s because it’s so “quick and easy,” just like buying tickets at Lottery24.

The female half of the couple (who wish to remain anonymous) said she’d checked their Lotto ticket and seen that it was a winner. They had family with them at the time, so she was a bit distracted and thought the win was $1,000. “Everyone was thrilled,” said the NZ Lotto winner, “and we promptly celebrated with a bottle of wine.”

A few more zeroes

The confusion over how much they had won continued. Only when receiving a call from the Lotto NZ’s Winners’ team did the truth finally be revealed. The NZ Lotto winner checked her account again an got a massive surprise. “There were definitely a few more zeroes looking back at me,” she recalled.

Then she worked out that the win was really $1 million, and the tears began to flow. Her husband wasn’t at home at the time, and she couldn’t wait to tell him the news. He recalled how he’d barely got his foot in the door when his wife told him she’d made a big mistake and asked him to look at the computer screen.

Utter shock

That’s just what he did, and it clearly said their win was $1 million. “I just looked at her in utter shock and disbelief,” said the lucky NZ Lotto winner. He describes the discovery as “the best bonus ever.”

They now have a laugh over the mistake made over all those commas and misreading where the decimal point was.

The couple plan on using their NZ Lotto winnings for their retirement. Before then though the husband wants a new pair of work boots.  He has plenty of work to do and joked that they’ll soon be muddy.

Get some tickets today from Lottery24.