Nine NSW and ACT winners ring in 2011 as Lotto millionaires

Nine lottery players from NSW and the ACT received the best of post-Xmas gifts, each winning a share in Lotto’s $31 million New Year's Eve Saturday Lotto Megadraw. Each winner will receive a $1,631,578.95 share of the division one prize.

Three of the nine winning tickets were Players Club members, who received calls from NSW Lotteries officials to confirm their good fortune. Those three winners bought their tickets in the Sydney suburbs of Auburn, Bondi Junction and Campbelltown.

The remaining six winning tickets were sold in the Sydney suburbs of Castle Hill, Marrickville and Glenwood, Mollymook in the Illawarra region, the North Coast town of Ballina and Dickson in the ACT.

“I don’t know what to say,” the overwhelmed winner from Auburn quietly responded when told of her win.

The mother of three was working when she received the phone call from a NSW Lotteries official confirming her win, and was unaware that she had won a share in of the $31 million New Years Eve Megadraw Division One prize.

“I never thought this could happen to me. I came to Australia 30 years ago for a better life; I never thought it would turn out this good.

“I have worked hard every single day, I’ve had to. This means I can have more time with my children. I like working, so I won’t give up completely, but I can relax and financially help my family,” the retail worker said.

“I can’t imagine life as a millionaire; I can’t believe this has happened to me. I never thought I could ever be this fortunate,” the emotional winner said.

The Auburn winner purchased her 36 game Megapick winning ticket from Auburn Central Newsagency.

The win could not have been better timed for the winner from Bondi Junction.

“You have no idea what this means, this saves us, we can save our home,” the anonymous winner, who purchased her winning ticket in the Sydney suburb of Bondi Junction, exclaimed when informed of her win.

“I bought this ticket for my husband’s birthday and this is the ticket that just turned our fortune around. Just yesterday we were discussing what we were going to do. We were going to have to sell our home and our daughter was going to have to sell her home, this has saved us.

“I’m trying so hard to stay calm; you can’t imagine what this will do for us. We can secure our grandson’s future, he’ll have a home to live in,” the winner said as she struggled to fight back tears of joy and relief.

When asked if she will celebrate her life changing win, the winner said that she intends to buy a bottle of champagne to toast the end of her financial worries.

“Oh yes, there will definitely a champagne cork popped. This good news will be celebrated. We have started 2011 by having all of our worries taken away from us; it couldn’t be a happier New Year! The adults will have some champagne and my little grandson will join in the celebration with a bottle of milk,” the winner laughed.

The $1.6 million winning ticket was purchased from Newsnew Newsagency at Westfield Shoppingtown, Bondi Junction.

While in Campbelltown the first thought was of a big career change.

“Oh my God, I’ve won! I can give up working,” exclaimed a Campbelltown man when a NSW Lotteries official confirmed that he won a $1.6 million share in Lotto’s $31 million New Years Eve Megadraw.

“I only bought a Megapick because it was such a big draw, I never expected to get a call to tell me I’m a millionaire,” the small business owner said.

“That’s it, I’m retiring and playing bingo every single day,” the 45 year-old winner, who wishes to remain anonymous, laughed.

Campbelltown’s lucky Lotto winner won $1,631,578.95 on a 36 game Megapick entry purchased from Marketfair Newsagency.

Nineteen winners across Australia shared in the Lotto’s $31 million division one prize, with each winner scoring $1,631,578.95. Along with the nine NSW and ACT winning tickets, three winning ticket were sold each in Victoria and South Australia and two winning tickets were sold each in Queensland and Western Australia.