A 30-year-old Petach Tikva man who won NIS 17 million in the lottery two Saturday nights ago arrived at the Mifal Hapayis [Israel Lotto] lottery headquarters this morning.
The winner filled out an 8-column form for NIS 29.20. The form was filled out by the winner manually and he chose the numbers randomly.
"I thank G-d for the great fortune on New Year's Eve," said the winner excitedly. "I send in the same form every year, with the same numbers...My patience paid off in the end."
Usually winners arrive within one or two days after winning, while this winner came only after a week. "It took me a week to collect the prize because I'm not stressed; money doesn't spoil and the win won't run away," he explained.
When asked what he would do with the money, the winner replied he was planning to buy an apartment and the rest he would invest. "We're preparing for New Year's Eve. The win is a good sign of a good start for next year. I hope I'll start the year with other good things: buying an apartment, a wedding, and children."
Mifal Hapayis said they are still waiting for two winners from previous sweepstakes, lottery no. 3012 that took place on May 5, 2018 and lottery no. 3026 held on June 16, 2018, each winning NIS 3 million.