Three weeks after the draw, a Werrington man has finally come forward to claim his $1 million Lotto win, explaining he’d completely forgotten he’d even bought the ticket.
The New South Wales player held one of the two division one winning entries nationally in Monday & Wednesday Lotto draw 4100 on Monday 2 August 2021. Each division one winning entry scored $1 million.
Speaking with an official from The Lott, the Sydney man explained why it took him so long to discover his million-dollar win.
“I usually check my tickets straight after the draw when I am getting ready for work. But I was running late, so I ended up completely forgetting about the ticket,” he shared.
“Then the other day, I could not sleep at all, and at about 4 in the morning, I got up and was just going through some old things when I found the ticket.
“So I looked at the winning numbers online, and since I mark my ticket, I recognised that they were my numbers straight away.
“I actually had just been scammed not long before that, so I was a bit wary, so I checked the ticket about 100 times.
“Then I ran to my daughter's bedroom and dragged her straight out of bed so she could check the ticket too.
“I was too anxious to wait until she woke up, and there was no way I could sleep.
“We could not believe it when we realised it was true. There was definitely no sleeping for either of us after that. It was crazy!
“We had a few drinks that morning to celebrate.
“I told my brother then, and he could not stop crying, just because he knows I have been through some tough times in recent years. I guess everyone has had their struggles, but it really will change my life.
“It was just insane!
“Since then, I have been pretty calm about it all.
“It’s going to make my life so much easier!”
When asked how he intended to enjoy his windfall, the newly-minted millionaire said he had already begun making plans.
“I am going to buy myself a house. It will be much better than renting,” he shared.
“I want to get myself a new boat for fishing with the kids, too.”
His winning entry was purchased online at Werrington County Newsagency, Shop 9A, Werrington Shopping Village, 511 Dunheved Road, Werrington.
Werrington County Newsagency’s Darren Nguyen said he was celebrating selling another division one winning entry to one of his local customers.
“We are so happy to have sold another jackpot,” he said.
“The customer must be so excited, especially considering the tough times we’ve all been through.
“We would love to send our best wishes to the customer. We hope you enjoy being a millionaire!”
The winning numbers in Monday & Wednesday Lotto draw 4100 on 2 August 2021 were 7, 40, 31, 11, 14 and 1, while the supplementary numbers were 16 and 43.
Across Australia, there were two division one winning entries in Monday & Wednesday Lotto draw 4088 – one each from Victoria and New South Wales.
The Lott’s division one winning tally has now reached 294 so far this calendar year, including 84 won by NSW Lotteries customers.
In 2020, Lotto created 122 millionaires across Australia.
During this time, there were 312 division one winning in Lotto entries across Australia, which collectively won more than $355.13 million.