KUALA LUMPUR: Persistence in playing the same set of numbers for 20 years paid off big-time for a punter from Negri Sembilan when he walked away with RM64.6 million on Sunday.
The 63-year-old retiree won the Supreme Toto 6/58 Jackpot with the winning combination of 11, 19, 22, 23, 36 and 39, claiming exactly RM64,623,697.40 and also a fourth prize of RM8 from a separate bet.
The new multi-millionaire told STM Lottery Sdn Bhd that it was never easy to be so "loyal" to a set of numbers.
"These numbers are indeed special to me and I do not intend to tell anyone why this set of numbers. I did not even tell my wife why I kept betting on this set of numbers.
"Many called me silly for being loyal to these numbers. Those who called me silly should see where I am now," he quipped.
He said he would buy the same set of numbers every draw. He knew that he had spent quite an amount of money on these numbers but "the anticipation and the excitement was simply worth the wait".
"When I saw the numbers appearing on the Toto app last night, I tasted a victory I had never experienced before. My wife and I were so happy that we could not sleep at all," he added.
The winner said he would use the winnings to first pay off all his debts and only then, think about how to spend the rest, later.
In a statement, STM Lottery also announced that two lucky winners from East Malaysia, and one from Selangor, won the RM10.87 million Toto 4D Jackpot 1 on April 28.
The first lucky winner from Sarawak said he bought the last Lucky Pick ticket available on the Toto outlet's sales counter and won half of the total jackpot, which amounted to RM5,346,016.45.
The 52-year-old, who works at an advertising agency, said he initially wanted to buy other numbers but had forgotten to do so and ended up buying the Lucky Pick ticket, which gave him the pair of winning numbers – "2900 and 1252".
"I will use the winnings to pay off my debts and also save it for my children's education," he said.
The second lucky winner, a 45-year-old farmer from Sabah, said she insisted on buying the pair of winning numbers, even though her husband had told her to stop playing the games, as it was "impossible to win".
"Luckily I insisted (and bought) the numbers 6661 and 2900 without telling my husband," she said.
The winner's husband who accompanied her to collect the winnings added that she deserved to win the jackpot because of her instincts.
The winner bought a System 3 ticket which won her RM5,346,016.45 and an additional RM336 as a System Play bonus.
The couple planned to use the winnings to expand their farming business.
The remaining balance of the jackpot, totalling RM181,220.90, was won by an i-System winner from Selangor.