‘Faithful’ punters bag RM15.3mil jackpot

PETALING JAYA: Two men from Penang and Perak won over RM15.3 million in jackpot prizes after decades of taking punts with Sports Toto.

In a press release, STM Lottery Sdn Bhd said the first winner, 62, was a retired salesman from Perak who won RM11.8 million after placing a bet using the numbers in his grandchildren’s birth certificates.

It said the winner had been regularly betting RM10 to RM20 with Sports Toto for 30 years, and was speechless when he found out he had won the prize after taking just a RM2 punt.

“My grandchildren have brought so much joy and happiness to our family, but I never imagined they would one day change our lives in such an extraordinary way,” he said.

The retiree said he plans to manage his winnings prudently to continue providing for his family and to ensure a better future for his grandchildren.

Similarly, a 65-year-old retiree from Penang won RM3.5 million after years of placing RM10 “lucky pick” bets.

The lucky winner said checking the results on the Sports Toto application before going to bed had become routine for him, and that was how he discovered he had won.

“The first thing I did was wake my wife up and ask her to verify the ticket because I thought I might have been seeing things,” he said.

He said he and his wife plan to place the funds in fixed deposits and use the interest income to cover their daily expenses and retirement needs.