A Dunedin couple has won a $13.36 million share of Lotto's record-breaking $40 million Powerball.
Three winning tickets were sold at Pak 'n Save Dunedin, Oparau Roadhouse near Te Awamutu and on MyLotto to a player from Hamilton. The numbers were: 29, 27, 37, 18, 33, 3; the bonus number was 36 and Powerball was 7.
The must-go biggest cash prize on offer was rolled down to the three Second Division winners after the First Division failed to be won last night.
A Lotto spokesperson confirmed the Dunedin win to the Otago Daily Times this afternoon.
Fresh Choice Green Island owner John Moyle told the ODT he was at a function at Green Island Rugby Football Club last night when he received a text to ask if he could open his supermarket to check a possible big winning Lotto ticket.
The ticket-holders were "a friend, of a friend, of a friend"of his wife Julie.
Mr Moyle called his checkout supervisor to meet him, Mrs Moyle and the ticket-holders at the supermarket.
The supervisor was "shaking" as she put the ticket barcode to the scanner; the machine beeped and the screen read claim: $13.3 million.
He said the "bewildered" couple were "blown away" and hugged after the ticket was confirmed.
"We had a beer and a Champagne in store and started doing the paperwork and Lotto rang."
Being part of such a big win was "unbelievable", Mr Moyle said.
"I was stoked, so I don't know how they coped ... I struggle to grasp having that amount of money go into your bank account and they were the same - they were over the moon, but were in disbelief."
The couple talked about spending the money on houses, cars and travel.
Mr Moyle did not know the couple and did not ask them their names.
"I didn't want to know, we know their friends but we didn't know who they were . . . that means I can't tell anybody, which suits me fine."
When he told people at the club the ticket had been bought by a Dunedin couple, everyone was pleased.
"Everyone is happy Dunedin got a big prize. Sure we all wanted it to be us, but the fact it was Dunedin was great."
Due to phenomenal draw sales, Strike Four also reached a Must Be Won draw. That jackpot was won by two lucky players in Auckland and Waipapa who both won Strike Four to take home $405,792 each.
Lotto craze sweeps country
Lotto stores all over the country were packed yesterday and the website crashed just before the draw as punters scrambled to buy last minute tickets.
There were just 1 in 3.8 million odds of winning the $40 million, but Kiwis opened their wallets widely for the draw, with some spending thousands of dollars each on tickets - including one who shelled out $10,000.
Bill and Brenda Rogers, the owners of Oparau Roadhouse on State Highway 31, were ecstatic to hear they had sold a winning ticket.
"We're hoping it's gone to someone in the district," Brenda Rogers said.
"There was a 60th birthday party on [last night] everyone was going to. People will be buzzing."
The sale of the $13.3 million winning ticket capped a very lucky day for the Roadhouse, with the Rogers selling a $10 scratchie that won a $200,000 prize earlier in the day.
"The result is so overwhelming," Ms Rogers said. "The Lotto representative is coming today. It sounded like she was expecting a big crowd."
Morgan Taipari, senior manager of the Commercial Hotel in Te Awamutu, expected a lot of buzz around the Waikato town as people found out about the result. He said it would be "pretty cool" if the ticket was bought by a local.
Lotto New Zealand chief executive Wayne Pickup said it was shaping up to be a record-breaking week for Lotto sales, with more than 2000 tickets sold every minute from midday yesterday.
The jackpot went to a $40 million, after failing to be struck at $34 million on Wednesday and $30 million last Saturday.
Kiwis went Lotto crazy as the jackpot soared, purchasing more than 1 million tickets for both last Saturday and Wednesday's draws, compared with a normal draw's sale of about 750,000 tickets.
Only one Powerball player has ever won more than $30 million - a self-proclaimed Auckland "Westie" who took home $33 million in September 2013.
- additional reporting NZ Herald
