Family "Set For Life" After Instant Kiwi Win

16 September 2005

Family "Set For Life" After Huge Instant Kiwi Win Of $500,000

A Manukau player has scratched their way to a top prize in the Instant Kiwi Set for Life game, winning $50,000 a year for the next ten years, says New Zealand Lotteries Commission (NZ Lotteries) Chief Executive Trevor Hall.

The winner, who wishes to remain anonymous, swapped the first ticket they said they wanted, for a $6 Set for Life ticket, after realising that the Set for Life game was the one their niece normally played.

"My niece gets these ones, they are her favourite, that's why I swapped the $5 ticket and paid an extra dollar. I scratched it and didn't think I had won anything at all, because I don't usually get them.

"When I saw the three LIFE words I didn't click. I just carried the ticket around in my bag all morning until I saw my niece.

"I got her to look at the ticket, and she was sure we'd won. We got it checked about two hours after I scratched it."

The winner says they were so happy that they started crying when they told their family about the annuity prize.

"I'm planning on sharing the winnings with family but it will take a while to sink in. I couldn't sleep at all last night."

The wining ticket was bought at Clendon New World Lotto Kiosk, on Thursday.

Lotto manager Vai Moana, from Clendon New World, says the win is fantastic for the Clendon community.

"I'm really happy for the winner. It's great to know that a regular customer in Clendon Mall has won a big prize." Mr Hall said that with the "Set for Life" ticket, unique in the Instant Kiwi product range, the winner will receive $50,000 a year for a total of 10 years, giving them a grand total of $500,000. NZ Lotteries has already paid the winner the first $50,000 installment.

"These types of tickets are very popular overseas and we are finding that Kiwis also like the chance to set themselves up for life with a prize of this size that gets paid to them over a decade, rather than getting all the money at once," says Mr Hall.

ENDS

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