A Matamata man who earned $10 million on an online gambling website says he “doesn’t know what to feel” after his life-changing haul — but says he won’t be quitting his job at KFC any time soon.
Rawiri Pou said he was convinced to give CasinoLand a go when he heard that his workmate’s cousin had won some money on the site — and it took him just two days of sporadic play to earn the multi-million dollar figure that would change his life forever.
The 27-year-old said he spent about $250 on the website’s Mega Moolah game in that two-day period, meaning his winnings were 40,000 times higher than what he had put in — but he says he still plans on continuing his role as a shift supervisor at KFC.
“I’ve talked to my boss, and I said that I don’t want to lose my job. We’re one of those families who keep on working,” Mr Pou said.
“I told my dad that he can slow down, even my mum — and they said no.”
Mr Pou admits his parents weren’t too happy with him being on the gambling site before his big win.
“It was just one of those spur-of-the moment things — and mum or dad would beat me up for it, going ‘How could you spend that much money?'”
And that’s the same question Mr Pou is asking himself now, as he’s left with an exorbitant stash of cash and very few ideas on how he should use it.
“Me and my family are overwhelmed by this — and the number one question is, ‘What am I going to do with it?'”
“I don’t know. Honestly, I’ll probably go back to my family and ask them what to do. You don’t see this every day, my family’s never seen this in their lifetime, so whatever happens, happens I guess.”
Mr Pou says he was in disbelief the moment he struck the jackpot.
“It was just a click of a button, playing around, and the next minute the jackpot came up — and I was like, ‘Nah, it can’t be’,” he said.
“Mum was sleeping so we had to go wake her up and tell her what happened. She was like, ‘Oh yeah, $10,000, that’s pretty good’, and I was like, ‘No mum, it’s $10 million’.”
However, he doesn’t want his big win to spur problem gamblers onto CasinoLand in the hopes of making a quick buck — and has a simple message for those with an addiction.
“Just think before you act.”
Mr Pou is still in discussions with CasinoLand over the payout, but says he should have the money in his bank account by next week.
Newshub.