{"id":612768,"date":"2026-09-26T21:18:33","date_gmt":"2026-09-26T21:18:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/612768\/"},"modified":"2026-09-26T21:18:33","modified_gmt":"2026-09-26T21:18:33","slug":"man-used-20-million-lotto-ticket-as-bookmark-for-almost-two-months","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/612768\/","title":{"rendered":"Man used $20 million Lotto ticket as bookmark for almost two months"},"content":{"rendered":"

A West Auckland man has discovered the Lotto ticket he had been using as a bookmark for almost two months is worth $20.1 million.<\/p>\n

The man, who has chosen to remain anonymous, said the winning ticket had been sitting inside a book since July. He only found it when he picked the book back up, following a break from reading.<\/p>\n

“I put the ticket straight into my wallet ready to check the next time I went to the shop,” he said.<\/p>\n

He knew Blockhouse Bay Postshop & Stationers had sold a winning ticket, but “didn’t put two and two together”. The ticket could easily have stayed on the bookshelf for months, he said.<\/p>\n

After scanning the ticket at a self-check kiosk, he initially believed the “major prize” alert meant he had won “likely a few thousand dollars”.<\/p>\n

“It still didn’t cross my mind that it would be $20m.”<\/p>\n

The Lotto operator “was more excited than me” about the win, he said.<\/p>\n

“I think I was in shock.”<\/p>\n

He said he would share the news of his lottery win with close family in the near future, as he decides what to do next.<\/p>\n

“I’m going to take things slow and really think about what to do with this money.<\/p>\n

“I do want to go on an overseas trip, but that’s the only plan so far.”<\/p>\n

In August, Lotto asked players to check their tickets after the prize went unclaimed for several weeks.<\/p>\n

“We’re so pleased the lucky winner found his ticket and checked it before we started the next stage of our search,” Lotto NZ head of corporate communications Will Hine said.<\/p>\n

“I can only imagine what it must have felt like to realise that his bookmark was worth $20.1m.”<\/p>\n

There’s still one more unclaimed prize in Auckland – a $333,333 winning ticket was sold at Four Square St Heliers for the 27 June draw.<\/p>\n

“We’d love to get this prize to the rightful owner, so if you might have bought a ticket in St Heliers in Auckland a few months ago, please have a look for it – and maybe have a scan of your bookshelf,” Hine said.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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