Lotto winner’s big $2.8m mistake

One man in Western Australia made the mistake of a lifetime after he put his winning $2.8 million lottery ticket somewhere he really shouldn’t have.

Tissues, coins, bank cards, phones — we are all guilty of putting something through the washing machine that we regret.

But one Belmont man was put into a spin after he almost lost $2.8 million when he forgot to take his division one winning Saturday Lotto ticket out of his trouser pockets.

The man, who does not want to be identified, bought the ticket from Here’s Luck Lottery Centre in the Belmont Forum before making what could have been a costly mistake before the draw.

“I forgot to take the ticket out of my trousers and put it in the washing machine,” he said.

“After five minutes I realised and stopped the washing machine to grab the ticket, fortunately, it was safe.”

One man almost made the biggest mistake of his life after putting his winning lotto ticket through the wash.

The load was taken off the man, who is in his late 20s, after he was able to claim his prize at Lotterywest HQ this week, taking them to the cleaners.

“I couldn’t think, I couldn’t sleep, I am still processing the win,” he said.

Lotterywest spokesman James Mooney said the WA player was among seven division one Superdraw winners across the country, with two crowned in NSW, Victoria and Queensland.

“For this player, it all came out of the wash okay, but it’s a reminder for players to register their ticket to prevent what could be a multimillion-dollar mistake” he said.

“Thanks to Saturday’s draw, more than $3.8 million from ticket sales has been raised for Lotterywest’s grants program.”

This story first appeared in Perth Now and was reproduced with permission.