By 1News Reporters
10:31am

One Lotto player is unknowingly half a million dollars richer, with the prize from a winning First Division ticket still unclaimed nearly four months after it was purchased.


The winning $500,000 First Division ticket was bought at Fresh Choice in Papamoa in Bay of Plenty for the New Year's Day draw on Wednesday, January 1.


Two lucky players shared the $1 million jackpot in the draw. The other
winning ticket was sold at Mirrabooka Superette in Auckland, and this prize
has been claimed.


Lotto corporate communications head Will Hine urged any players who bought a ticket at the Bay of Plenty store to check it "as soon as possible".


"The ticket could have been bought by a local or someone visiting Papamoa to see in the new year," he said in a media release.


"It's a life-changing amount of money, and we want to make sure the winner claims what's rightfully theirs sooner rather than later."


Hine said anyone who bought their ticket from Fresh Choice Papamoa for the January 1 draw should write their name on the back of their ticket and check
it as soon as possible. This can be done in-store, on MyLotto, or through the MyLotto app.


The winner has until January 1, 2026, to claim their prize.

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