The saying “better late than never” is certainly appropriate for one Lake Macquarie resident, who collected a major windfall this week.
After almost two years, the Mount Hutton woman finally came forward as the region’s mystery division one winner following the Monday & Wednesday Lotto draw 4094, which occurred on 12 July 2021.
As a result, she picked up a life-changing $1 million prize.
The ticket was unregistered, which meant officials from The Lott had no way of contacting the person to break the winning news.
Instead, they’ve been eagerly waiting for the ticketholder to check their entry.
On Friday morning, 5 May, The Lott spoke to the jubilant woman, who was still in shock from her hefty discovery.
“It’s very exciting,” she exclaimed.
“The prize will truly go a long way.
“I can’t wait to help my family and, most importantly, my kids.
“I’ve held onto the ticket this entire time.
“I thought I’d check it on Monday… and I was blown away.
“It’s great knowing I had six years to claim my prize in NSW.
“Thank you so much.”
Her winning entry was purchased at Pharmacy 4 Less Mount Hutton in Lake Macquarie Fair.
Owner Nader Eltom said he was very excited for the woman and grateful to have played a part in making someone’s financial fantasies come true.
“We’re so happy to hear our division one winner has finally come forward to claim her million-dollar prize,” he stated.
“It’s amazing to know that Pharmacy 4 Less Mount Hutton has been a part of making one of our customer’s dreams a reality.
“It’s very humbling and we’re appreciative to be a part of it every day.
“The Mount Hutton community is very tight-knit… and our customers have been delighted to hear that one of them has won a big prize [from 2021].
“It’s even more amazing knowing they’ve finally come forward to claim their prize.
“Congratulations to the woman and we wish her all the best.”
There are currently 22 unclaimed division one and major lottery prizes across Australia worth $16,270,374.35, including 12 in NSW.
In Queensland, players have seven years to come forward, while NSW and ACT residents have six.
The biggest unclaimed lottery win is a $4.8 million Set for Life division one win from April 2021 with an entry purchased in Woden in the ACT.
The Lott spokesperson Anna Hobdell encourages all Aussies to check old tickets, or any places that might have tickets lying around, hiding in the car glovebox or in old shopping bags.
“We’re urging players to look closely at any tickets as there are currently 22 unclaimed division one and major lottery prizes across Australia worth almost $17 million in prizemoney,” she said.
“These winning tickets were not registered to a player card or an online account.
“So, we have no way of identifying or contacting the mystery winners to unite them with their prize.
“The amount of time you must claim a prize varies from state to state, but we hope to find all our elusive winners soon.
“It’s an important reminder to always register tickets to an online account or players club card.
“So, if you do happen to win division one, we can reveal the life-changing news straight after the draw.”
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