He had a R100 million fortune in his hands – and he very nearly tossed it away.
The winner of the country’s record jackpot payout, who invested R10.50 in a Lotto PowerBall quickpick ticket, told the cashier checking his ticket to throw it away after twice scanning it and getting a negative response.
According to Beeld newspaper, Dolf Westcott, the manager of a service station in Langenhovenpark in Bloemfontein, where the new multimillionaire bought his lucky ticket, said he returned last Sunday to check his ticket and the cashier scanned it twice, with no luck. Thinking he had not won anything, the man told the cashier to throw the ticket away, said Westcott.
However, the cashier scanned it one more time – and the Lotto machine responded with a message that said the man had to report to the Lotto office.
Westcott said the man just stood there in shock as it sunk in that he had the winning numbers.
Westcott doesn’t know the indentity of the man, blond and in his twenties, but said he often bought milk and cigarettes at the garage shop. He is an irregular player of the lottery, playing mostly when there is a big jackpot up for grabs.
The R102 016 595 jackpot was reached after 24 rollovers, and the Free State man is the 28th instant millionaire created by PowerBall.
“This money will add substantially to the money that I have been saving towards a better life for myself and would also assist in paying off my debts,” he told spokeswoman for the national lottery operator, Thembi Tulwana.