Imagine not knowing you were a millionaire for nearly two years.
That was the reality for a Mount Hutton woman who has finally come forward and claimed her million dollar Monday and Wednesday Lotto win after one year and eight months.
The newly minted millionaire purchased her winning entry at Pharmacy 4 Less in the Lake Macquarie region, and was the division one winner, drawn on July 12, 2021.
The ticket was unregistered which meant officials from The Lott had no way of contacting the winner to break the news.
Instead, lottery officials had been eagerly waiting for the mystery ticket holder to check their entry and come forward.
"I've held onto the ticket this entire time. I thought I'd check it on Monday and I was blown away," the woman said.
She said her shocking win would go towards helping her family.
"It's very exciting. The prize will truly go a long way," she said.
"I can't wait to help my family, and most importantly, my kids."
Pharmacy 4 Less Mount Hutton owner Nader Eltom, said he was very excited for the winning woman and grateful to have played a part in making someone's dreams come true.
"We're so happy to hear our division one winner has finally come forward to claim her million-dollar prize," he said.
There are currently 22 unclaimed division one and major lottery prizes across Australia worth $16,270,374.35.
There are 12 unclaimed prizes in New South Wales, nine in Queensland and one in Victoria.
In Queensland, players have seven years to come forward, while New South Wales and ACT residents have six.
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.
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