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Taranaki woman scoops $570k Lotto prize four times on same ticket

Friday, 19 June 2020

Taranaki woman
Taranaki woman's favourite numbers score her four shares of Lotto First Division, taking home about $570,000. (File Photo)

A Taranaki woman has claimed a prize worth $570,000 after she won Lotto First Division four times on the same ticket.

The development solves the mystery of the past week of whether there was one winner, or four, after the small South Taranaki town of Pātea's lottery success.

In a statement from Lotto, the Taranaki woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said she went for a 'few of her favourite lucky numbers' and decided to play them on four lines of her ticket.

It's a punt which paid off big time after the June 13 draw, when she scooped the lion's share of the $1m cash prize.

**READ MORE:

* Taranaki woman scoops $570k Lotto prize four times on same ticket

* Four winning Lotto First Division tickets sold in Pātea has town buzzing

* Hawke's Bay mother sleeps with Lotto ticket under pillow after $25.1m Lotto win

From left, Pātea Four Square assistant manager Jantin Patel, owner Vinod Meghwal, and manager Taj Singh, celebrate the store
From left, Pātea Four Square assistant manager Jantin Patel, owner Vinod Meghwal, and manager Taj Singh, celebrate the store's big Lotto win on June 13. (File Photo).

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Three other tickets, sold in Auckland and Porirua, took the remaining prize pool.

On the night of the draw, the woman said her husband had gone to bed early, and she had fallen asleep in the lounge.

When she woke up about 10pm, she went to get ready for bed, but decided to check her Lotto ticket first.

She said it took a while to dawn on her that four lines on her ticket matched all six numbers drawn earlier that night.

“I was still quite sleepy, so I didn’t understand what I was seeing at first.”

After writing her name and phone number on the ticket, she phoned a family member to share the news first before eventually waking her husband.

“I didn’t want to wake him up, he would’ve got the fright of his life. But eventually I did, and after that, we didn’t get any more sleep that night.”

She said the cash winnings would help them set their children, and grandchildren, up for the future.

“It will be nice to use some of the money to go on some family trips too – we’re looking forward to that,” she said.