Kiwi's good fortune: Same Lotto numbers finally pay off

The winner, who wishes to remain anonymous, originally chose his numbers from the Lucky Dip he purchased for the very first Lotto draw in 1987. Photo / iStock

Persistence paid off for an Otago man during the weekend, who won $333,333 using the same Lotto numbers he's been playing for almost 30 years.

The winner, who wishes to remain anonymous, originally chose his numbers from the Lucky Dip he purchased for the very first Lotto draw in 1987.

"I bought a Lucky Dip almost 30 years ago for the first ever Lotto draw and decided that the numbers on that ticket would be my lucky numbers from then on in, so I've been playing them ever since," the winner said.

"I got up on Sunday and decided to check the results while I had breakfast. At first I noticed that I had two numbers in a row and then as I went along, all the numbers started lining up.

He won a third of the first division, with other winning tickets being sold in Paraparaumu and Wellington.

"My wife and I couldn't believe it - I had to ask her to pinch me. We've never seen so many numbers on a single line, so we had to check it over and over to make sure we weren't making it up!" laughed the winner.

With the money safely in their bank account, the couple now have the enviable task of deciding how they will spend their windfall.

"We haven't thought too far ahead yet, but the money will certainly help towards for our retirement. As for now, we're going to celebrate the occasion with oysters and a nice bottle of wine."

His ticket was bought at Paper Plus Alexandra.