A woman from Tauranga, New Zealand, is experiencing a whirlwind of emotions after winning $1 million in the Lotto First Division on Saturday. The woman, who prefers to stay anonymous, bought a Triple Dip ticket as part of a Mother’s Day promotion, hoping to win one of the 75 extra $10,000 prizes.
“Sometimes I choose my own numbers, sometimes I buy a Triple Dip, but this time I wanted a chance to win one of the Mother’s Day prizes. I never thought I’d actually win a million,” she said.
She took a screenshot of her ticket to check her numbers while watching the live draw on TV. “I usually go to bed before the results are available on MyLotto, so I always take a screenshot and check it during the live draw,” she explained.
When she realized she had won the Lotto First Division, she initially thought the prize was shared among multiple winners. “I told myself that several people had won and that I might have won $300k, which would still have been amazing,” she said.
She stayed up past her usual bedtime to check her winnings on MyLotto. “When I saw I was the only winner, I was shocked. Winning a million dollars is incredible and life-changing,” she exclaimed.
The woman has been feeling a range of emotions since her win. “One moment it feels overwhelming, and I have a thousand things running through my mind. The next, I feel a huge sense of relief and excitement for my future,” she said.
She celebrated her win with a glass of champagne and is thinking about what to do with her winnings. “I want to secure my future, and once that’s done, I hope to help some of the people closest to me,” she said.
