Mistaken millionaire: unusual numbers lead to $10m lotto win
A Sydney man has mistakenly become $10 million dollars richer.
A devoted lotto gambler who plays a set series of numbers has won big after making a mistake on his ticket, and accidentally deviating from his usual numeric plan.
The man's identity has not been released but the ticket is said to have been bought from Rose Bay South Newsagency in Sydney's east.
According to reports, after discovering his win eight weeks after being drawn, the man is said to have described himself as walking around in circles, feeling as if his brain had "stopped working".
"I have to tell you: the numbers on the winning line were actually a mistake!" the winner, who has been described as a tradesman in his early 40s, told NSW Lotteries.
"I have my numbers written on a piece of paper - they are birthdays, ages, house numbers and things like that.
"When I was filling in the coupon I marked off four numbers on one line and without realising the next four numbers I marked off were from the line beneath it.
"I won on the game I made a mistake on. Isn't that something?"
The man said he had played lotto weekly for the past 20 years.
He will reportedly continue to work, but looked forward to spending more time with his family.
"I'd love to buy a house in Sydney. Just to have a nice garden for the kids to play in will be absolutely fantastic. I won't retire but I will do all of the things I've dreamt of doing.
"My partner doesn't enjoy her job, so I hope she will give it up now. When she finds out about this she will totally lose her mind."
