A lucky Canterbury winner did a double take on Sunday morning, when they realised the $17,250 Powerball ticket they had been so excited about the night before was in fact worth a whopping $17.25 million.

The winning $17.25 million Powerball First Division ticket was sold on MyLotto to a player from Canterbury for the draw on Saturday 27 January.

The winner, who wishes to remain anonymous, joked “I’ve got to get my eyes checked.”

After buying their ticket online earlier on Saturday, the Cantabrian checked it later that evening.

“All my numbers started to line up, and I thought, ‘I’m going to win something – probably a bonus ticket.’ By the end, I was a bit confused and thought I’d only won $17,250,” the winner said.

It wasn’t until the next morning that the winner made the astounding discovery.

“I had another look at the ticket and realised I’d actually won $17.25 million!”

The winner said they felt “a bit silly” to miss all the zeros. “But if I’d known the night before, I definitely wouldn’t have gotten much sleep!”

As the first Powerball winner of 2024, the Canterbury player said, “It’s still sinking in. It’s very exciting, but I’m not the sort of person who jumps up and down – I plan to carry on with life as normal.”

“I’m thinking of investing the money while I have a good think about what to do. There’s no rush, and I don’t want to get carried away,” the winner said.

According to the winner, one thing is for sure: “This win will help me enjoy a comfortable retirement in the future. I’m looking forward to it!”

The $17.25 million Powerball prize is made up of $17 million from Powerball First Division and $250,000 from Lotto First Division.