A month has now passed since a $1 million-winning Lotto ticket was sold at the South Dunedin Night ’n Day store, but the prize has still not been claimed.
Now, store owner Murray Devereux is urging people with unchecked Lotto tickets to drop by his store and check them.
"That winning ticket is still out there.
"I’m a little worried about that — I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t, because it’s not normal to leave it this long.
"Normally they come forward within two weeks.
"It’s been over a month now."
He was beginning to suspect the winning ticket was either lost, or it was in someone’s wallet or glove box and they had forgotten about it.
"I would suggest that the person doesn’t know that they’ve won — 100%.
"People should definitely check their tickets.
"A million dollars would be life-changing."
He still believed the winner was likely to be from South Dunedin because the overwhelming majority of his customers lived in the area.
Rumours have been rife about who South Dunedin’s newest millionaire is.
Social media posts had been name-dropping and one person even surmised the winner would be the only person driving around South Dunedin with "a full tank of gas".
Mr Devereux said he was still holding out hope the ticket would be presented, because the longest anyone had waited was about 12 months.
"Sometimes it does take time for people to process what they’ve won."
He said the store had been pretty lucky with first division Lotto wins over the years.
In 2016, it was named New Zealand’s luckiest Lotto store.
