Forgotten Ticket in Handbag Had Won $7.18m NZ Powerball Jackpot

A couple from Auckland in New Zealand were multi-millionaires for a fortnight without knowing it. When eventually checking their ticket they  discovered their $7.18 million win in the June 8 NZ Lotto draw.

That draw saw the bumper $50 million NZ Powerball jackpot shared by seven tickets. This winning couple have opted to remain anonymous. Speaking to the NZ Lotto, they described themselves as only occasional lottery players. With such a large jackpot on June 8, the couple decided to try their luck.

Despite that being the case, they didn’t pay a great deal of attention to the draw. They didn’t check the results or keep up with the news. That meant they had no idea a jackpot winning ticket had been sold at the store where their purchase was made.

Weren’t in a rush

The male half of the couple explained that they “usually only check our tickets when we remember to.” He added: “We weren’t in a rush.”

The NZ Powerball winning ticket had spent the past fortnight in his wife’s handbag.  A woman from Cork in Ireland found a €100,000 winning lottery ticket  in her handbag.

When it was finally scanned, the app told them a major prize had been won and they needed to go to a store. “I had a feeling that it was a big amount,” he admitted but not as much as $7.18 million.

So excited

“We were so excited,” recalled the surprised winner. A family meeting was held which concerned one of his two children who thought bad news was on its way.

It was anything but bad news but the tears still flowed. One of their children has been speaking about the win and is so pleased for his parents. “They’ve worked incredibly hard all their lives for us, they really deserve this,” they said.

For the NZ Powerball winning couple,  they want to do all they can for their children. "It's all for them - everything has been. It means so much to know that my family will be looked after."

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