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Aussie woman claims $1 million Lotto prize after nearly two years

The NSW winner says she'd held on to the ticket all this time but only checked on Monday.

It certainly was a case of better late than never for a NSW woman who only discovered she'd become a millionaire nearly two years after buying her winning lottery ticket.

The mystery winner has finally come forward to claim her $1 million division one prize for a draw way back in July 2021. While she failed to explain why she hadn't checked the ticket since its purchase, she stressed it hadn't been forgotten about.

"I’ve held onto the ticket this entire time. I thought I’d check it on Monday, and I was blown away!" she revealed to The Lott.

$50 and $100 notes (left) and a lottery ticket inside a car's glovebox (right)
The woman had failed to check her ticket for close to two years. Source: Getty/ The Lott

She purchased the Monday & Wednesday Lotto ticket from her local pharmacy in Lake Macquarie's Mount Hutton, and because it was unregistered, lottery officials were unable to contact her to inform her of her windfall.

"I can’t wait to help my family, and most importantly, my kids... The prize will truly go a long way," she said.

The woman had six years to claim the prize before the money could not be paid. Each state has varying timeframes for when the money can lo longer be paid.

$16 million still yet to be claimed in division one prizes

There are currently 22 unclaimed major division one lottery prizes across Australia worth more than $16 million, The Lott revealed.

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.

“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," spokesperson Anna Hobdell said.

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