The & grilling & # 39; the young Kiwi Lotto wins $ 22.3 million

If you missed it: this was one of the top stories of the Herald on social media this week.

A young man from Central Otago who bought a lotto ticket on a whim, is the lucky winner of the $ 22.3 million Powerball prize [19659003]. It is the biggest Powerball prize won on the South Island.

"I scrolled through Facebook when I saw a message that Powerball was $ 22 million that night, I thought that would be nice, so I bought a ticket through the Lotto NZ App and did not think about it anymore, "said the winner, who is in these years & # 39; 20.

It was not until Thursday evening that he thought to check his ticket.

"I hadn & # 39; I honestly heard about it .I was hanging out with my best friend after work when I remembered that I had bought a ticket, so I thought I could just as well

"I saw the numbers on my ticket. After the first couple I thought that was lucky. Then I saw all six numbers circled and lined up and did not really know what to think – then the Powerball came. "

" I said: "Mate – I think I won Powerball … is this real? "The winner said.

His parents were the next to hear the news and struggled to believe that he was not attracting.

" Mom and Dad did not believe me – it's it kind of what I would draw, so they made it a joke. The whole thing felt a bit too good to be true, so I just put down my phone and went to bed. "

& # 39; Wake up in the morning it all began to sink.

" I woke up with a message from my father with a link to an article stating that a $ 22.3 million

Powerball prize was won in Central Otago with a MyLotto card – that's when I realized what happened, there are only a few coincidences, "said the winner.

" I signed up for MyLotto and claimed the prize . Then I decided to call Lotto NZ and come to the end. When they confirmed that I was the big winner, I was absolutely in shock. "

Securing his future was a forerunner in his mind when he thought about spending the money, he said

" I want to buy a house with some land, maybe a boat. The most important thing for me is to make sure that I focus on the future – this prize is an incredible opportunity and I'm going to make the most of it. "

Biggest Powerball prizes won on South Island

• $ 22.3 million, August 2018, MyLotto, Central Otago
• $ 22.2 million, April 2016, MyLotto, Ashburton
• $ 20 , 5 million, November 2012, Windsor Stationery and Lotto, Invercargill
• $ 20.2 million, February 2012, Hornby Mall Lotto, Christchurch
• $ 18.2 million, February 2017, MyLotto, Otago