A Queensland dad was brought to tears upon discovering his $2.5 million winning lotto ticket that had been sitting in his pocket for nearly two weeks.
The North Brisbane resident was one of the eight lucky winners from the Saturday Gold Lotto draw on August 31, 2024, each securing a hefty $2.5 million prize from the $20 million Superdraw top prize.
The winning entry was unregistered, which meant lotto officials had no way of contacting the ticketholder and instead had to wait for him to check his ticket and come forward.
The North Brisbane dad finally checked his ticket in his local store which arranged for him collect his windfall.
The winner admitted he had no idea he’d been carrying a $2.5 million Saturday Gold Lotto ticket in his wallet for nearly two weeks.
“Oh my god!” he cried.
“Oh my god. Are you serious? I’m at work. I’m crying.
“I can look after my family. The kids are now safe. I’m speechless. Thank you so much.
“It’s a shock to the system. Such wonderful news. I’m sorry, I’m speechless.
“It’s life-changing for a lot of us, our family and friends.
“I’ve got children, and it’s amazing that I’ll be able to look after them.
“I had no idea about this. The ticket was in my wallet the entire time and it wasn’t until I walked past The Store on Eagle this morning that I thought I would check my ticket.”
With $2.5 million set to hit his bank account next week, the Queenslander revealed wondrous plans to pay off his home and make life-changing gestures for his family.
“Oh my god. This will help us to own the house, fund the kids’ education and help some family members,” he shared.
“We would also love to go on a family holiday!
“We’ve got school holidays coming up, so we’ll have to get the family all together and have a big celebration!
“This is wonderful. I’m still on shock.
“I’ll remember this for the rest of my life.”
His winning entry was purchased at The Store on Eagle, Ground Floor, Shop 2 Central Plaza Two, Brisbane.
The Store on Eagle’s previous owner Kristina Carson said she couldn’t believe she had sold her first division one winning entry just before transferring ownership of the shop after 20 years.
“When I first found out we had sold a division one winning ticket, I was stopped in my tracks. After nearly 20 years of owning the shop, this is our first division one win!” she said.
“The fact that it happened on our last day before handing over to the new owners is just wild. We’ve gone out with a bang and it’s incredibly rewarding to know we’ve changed someone’s life.
“We wish the mystery winner all the best and we’re just filled with joy to have been part of their story!”
Team member Izzy Gray said the team were over the moon their mystery winner had come forward.
“We were beginning to get worried that the ticket was lost,” she laughed.
“We’re so glad our customer has finally come forward and discovered their life-changing prize!
“Congratulations to them and we hope to sell many more division one winning tickets soon.”
The winning numbers in Saturday Gold Lotto draw 4499 on 31 August 2024 were 6, 39, 15, 20, 32 and 4 while the supplementary numbers were 30 and 1.
Across Australia, there were eight division one winning entries in Saturday Gold Lotto draw 4499 – Four in Victoria, two in New South Wales, and one each in Queensland and Western Australia.
