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An Otago woman thought all her Christmases had come at once when she scooped $42 million on a Dunedin poker machine.
The festive season was brief, however, when it was discovered the machine was faulty and Waikouaiti woman Verna Brown was actually owed just $500.
The mental health worker, sat for the first time at the Sport of Emperors pokie in the Law Courts Hotel and fed $14 into the machine.
Less than 10 minutes later, and for a "brief wonderful moment", Ms Brown had won $42,959,187.29 - and even fielded a marriage proposal from a fellow pokie player.
"I went up to the bar and said `I just won $42 million' - I think the bar lady thought that I had had a few," she told the Otago Daily Times.
Only when asking for the amount to be paid by "cash or cheque" did a staff member check the machine before passing the news to co-owner Eric Olsen.
"When I saw it, I thought I would have to sell the hotel and mortgage myself for 200 years," Mr Olsen said.
Fortunately, a light saying malfunction was lit on the machine and rather than call in the receivers, Mr Olsen called a technician to inspect the machine.
The machine's logic boards were sent back to the Japanese manufacturer for analysis and it took two and a-half weeks "to establish she had actually won $500 from a jackpot".
Ms Brown said she had no need for the $42 million and was happy with her $500.
- NZPA
