While much of the country was glued to their screens watching the Rugby World Cup on Sunday morning, one lucky Auckland couple were fixated on a different screen – with decidedly better results.

The couple, who wish to remain anonymous, are “still in disbelief” after discovering they’d won a “life-changing” $6.3 million thanks to a Pick Your Own ticket.

“I was about to text my wife – who was out at the time – when I saw an email notification from Lotto NZ,” the man explained. “It said I was a Major Prize Winner, so I checked my ticket on MyLotto.

“I scrolled all the way down to the bottom of my ticket before I saw the winning line, and even then, I didn’t know how much I’d won. I scrolled back up to see ‘$6,333,333’, and that’s when it hit me – I’d won the big one!”

The man’s wife arrived home to find her husband thunderstruck.

“As soon as she walked in, I showed her my phone, yelling, ‘Look at this! What does this mean?’”

His wife was “shocked. I couldn’t believe it! It was a surreal feeling – and not something I ever would have expected to happen.”

After claiming online and calling Lotto NZ to confirm their win, the couple phoned their close friends and family to share the incredible news.

“The best thing was that everyone was so happy for us. They said it couldn’t have happened to better people,” the woman said.

The couple celebrated with a bottle of champagne that evening and stayed up well into the night thinking about everything they could do.

“Whenever I was on the cusp of sleep, he’d nudge me and say, ‘What if we did this?’” the woman said.

Days later, the couple are still pinching themselves. “We keep thinking it’s not real and that it’s some elaborate hoax,” the man joked.

“We’re incredibly grateful,” the woman said. “It’s a wonderful feeling not having to worry about the future. We’re looking forward to being able to travel and buy our own place.”

“We’re very sensible, though,” the woman added. “We baulked when we saw the price of business class upgrades!”

Notes for editors:

• The winning $6.3 million Powerball First Division ticket was sold on MyLotto for the draw on Saturday 28 October.
• The winners would like to remain anonymous and do not wish to provide any further comment at this stage.
• This is the fifteenth Powerball First Division winner of 2023.
• The $6.3 million Powerball prize is made up of $6 million from Powerball First Division and $333,333 from Lotto First Division.

Powerball wins in 2023

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