$20 Million Lotto Ticket Used as Bookmark for Nearly Two Months

A West Auckland man has become an instant multimillionaire after discovering that the Lotto ticket he had been using as a bookmark for almost two months was worth more than NZ$20 million.

The ticket was purchased from Blockhouse Bay Post Shop & Stationers for the July 25 draw before being slipped inside a book and forgotten.

It was only when the man returned to the book weeks later that he rediscovered the ticket and decided to have it checked.

The forgotten piece of paper turned out to be worth NZ$20.1 million.

Bookmark Turns Into NZ$20.1 Million Fortune

The winning ticket secured NZ$20 million from Powerball First Division along with another NZ$111,111 from Lotto First Division.

The winner told Lotto NZ that even after finding the ticket, he did not immediately connect it with reports that a major prize had been sold in the area.

When he eventually scanned the ticket at the retailer, the machine indicated that he had won a major prize.

Initially, he thought the amount might only be a few thousand dollars before discovering the true scale of the win.

The prize came from a NZ$40 million Powerball jackpot that was split between two Auckland tickets.

The other winning ticket belonged to a young Auckland couple who claimed their NZ$20.1 million share shortly after the draw.

Lotto NZ Had Been Searching for Missing Winner

The Blockhouse Bay ticket remained unclaimed for weeks, prompting Lotto NZ to publicly encourage players in West Auckland to check old tickets.

By August, the organisation was actively trying to locate the winner of the outstanding NZ$20 million prize.

Lotto NZ's Will Hine said

the organisation was pleased the winner finally found and checked his ticket before further efforts were made to locate him.

New Zealand Lotto winners have 12 months from the date of the draw to claim their prizes, meaning the ticket was nowhere close to expiring despite its unusual stint as a bookmark.

Another Huge Year for NZ Powerball

The result adds another remarkable story to what has already been a busy year for New Zealand Powerball.

Earlier in 2026, an Ashburton player collected NZ$28.6 million after buying a winning ticket at Four Square Netherby. You can read more about that win in our report on the NZ$28.6 million Ashburton Powerball jackpot.

More recently, two Kiwi families shared a NZ$10 million Must Be Won jackpot in the final draw played under New Zealand's previous 10-ball Powerball format. The game has since moved to a 14-ball format.

For players interested in other forms of online gaming available to New Zealanders, Casino.com also provides information through its New Zealand casino guide.

Winner Plans to Take Things Slowly

Despite suddenly becoming more than NZ$20 million richer, the West Auckland winner has not rushed into making extravagant plans.

He reportedly intends to tell close family members about the win and take time to consider what to do with the money.

One idea is already on the list: an overseas holiday.

After sitting unnoticed between the pages of a book for almost two months, the ticket has become one of New Zealand's more unusual Lotto winner stories, and probably the country's most valuable bookmark.