An elderly man suddenly discovered he was a millionaire when he checked his Oz Lotto ticket this morning.
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The Griffith resident realised he had won the division one from the Oz Lotto Draw 1294, taking home the entire prize pool of $2,025,065.83.
He bought the ticket from Searls Newsagency on Banna Avenue, where he faithfully buys his newspaper and lotto tickets every week.
The winner was announced last Tuesday, and the man had spent nearly an entire week not realising that he had won $2 million.
Despite being registered to a Players Club Card, NSW Lotteries had no luck getting in contact with him.
The man only realised how much he had won when he walked into Searls Newsagency to check his ticket.
The newsagency’s owner Peter Searl said the man could hardly believe his ears when he heard how much he had won.
“He asked us ‘how much is it?’ and we said ‘oh, it’s quite a bit,’” Mr Searl said.
“I don’t think it quite registered when we told him how much it was.”
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The $2 million winning ticket is the biggest one the newsagency has sold in its entire history, doubling the previous $1 million tickets that were sold nine years ago.
Mr Searl said he was happy that the prize went to a Griffith local just in time for Christmas.
“He’s a local, and he’s been shopping here for as long as I can remember,” he said.
“It’s a nice little boost for him and for everybody.”
The elderly man revealed he’d been playing Oz Lotto for years but had never dreamt of how he’d spend his windfall, should he ever win division one.
“I need to have a good think about how I’ll use my prize,” he said.
“I’ve got a lot of nieces and nephews to share it with.”
The man wishes to remain anonymous but is known to locals.
This is the second win the MIA has had in the leadup to Christmas, with a Leeton grandmother winning $1 million in November.
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