Free Lotto ticket leads to $1m win for Waikato man

Friday, 6 July 2018

'You're a millionaire,' a Waikato retiree told his wife when she walked through the door. 

He had nabbed a $1 million Lotto win through a free Bonus ticket. 

The winner checked the ticket dozens of times before ringing up the Lotto head office to make sure. 

'When I saw all the numbers match up on my ticket, I couldn't quite believe it was real,'  the winner - who does not wish to be named - said in a statement.

'When the person on the phone told me that I was a millionaire, I was completely lost for words.Winning $1 million alone is incredible, but to win it on a Bonus Ticket made the moment even sweeter.'

The winner, a regular MyLotto player didn't know the big prize had been won before checking his own ticket. 

His wife hadn't been home when he found out the news. 

'When I stepped through the door the first thing he said to me was 'You're a millionaire'', his wife said. 

'My first response was 'What are you talking about?' – he's a bit of a practical joker, so I thought he was having me on.' 

When she saw the matching numbers herself, she burst into tears. 

The couple plan to travel with the winnings, with the South Island first on their to-do list. 

'Then we'll work our way around the world from there,' he said.