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Newcastle Herald
Newcastle Herald
Matt Carr

'I've been battling': three millionaires in three days

THREE millionaires have been made on the Hunter and Central Coast in as many days after wins across lotteries.

A Nelson Bay man claimed a $1.1 million win on Keno on Thursday.

"I was at the club shouting my mate lunch," he said. "He had done me a favour, so I thought I'd do something to say thank you.

"The win still hasn't sunk in yet. I'm just at work like normal today."

Asked how he'd spend his winnings, the Port Stephens resident said he hadn't made it that far yet.

"Honestly, I'm still in shock," he said. "I think it'll feel more real once it hits the bank account.

"I might go on a nice holiday."

The winning entry was bought at Wests Nelson Bay.

The next was a Lake Macquarie man's entry becoming the only winning ticket across the country in Friday's Weekday Windfall draw - formerly the Monday and Wednesday Lotto.

The ticket scored him $1 million, but while the end of the week was the start of something amazing in this case, he usually avoids the draw that made him a millionaire.

"I've played it before on a Wednesday or Monday here and there, but not on a Friday," he told officials from The Lott.

"I just happened to be down at Priceline doing the shopping and I thought I'd put a ticket in for the draw on Friday night.

"I've been battling all my life, so it's come at a good time. It will allow me to enjoy a comfortable retirement."

The man discovered his good fortune while watching the televised draw.

"I wrote the numbers down and when I checked my ticket I thought, 'I've got three numbers. Hang on a minute, I've got four. Then five. And then, holy hell, all six numbers!'," he said.

"I rang a friend of mine and she said, 'you're joking!'. I took a photo of the ticket and sent it through to her."

The 18-game quick pick entry was purchased at Priceline Pharmacy at Toronto.

The following day, a Saratoga woman clinched $2 million in the Saturday Lotto.

The Central Coast resident was one of 10 division one winners in that draw with her ticket, purchased at Woy Woy.

She also managed to hit division three wins 12 times and division four 15 times, taking her total haul up almost $13,000 higher.

"I checked my ticket over the weekend, but I've been so stressed thinking, 'What if they made a mistake?'. I'm so glad it's real," she told officials from The Lott.

"I didn't realise it was a Superdraw at first, so I was really confused to see there were 10 winners and I had still won $2 million. I was thinking, 'How does that work?'.

"It was a great weekend to win, that's for sure.

"It's lovely that 10 lucky people won this life-changing amount. I can't believe that I was one of them and I beat the odds!

She said it was time to buy "a waterfront house somewhere nice".

"I'll probably be there most of the time because now I can give up work too," she said.

"It's absolutely wonderful. I'll be able to live the life. Thank you so much."

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