Lotto wins bring joy

Mala and Mahesh Thakur. (Damjan Janevski) 215307_02

By Alesha Capone

The owner of Wyndham Village Lotto & News says he enjoys seeing the “fantastic reactions” of lottery winners, from screams to tears.

Mahesh Thakur, along with his wife Mala, have run the Tarneit business for almost six years.

Earlier this month, they were one of just three Victorian outlets to sell tickets in two separate syndicates, which both won division one prizes in a Saturday $20 million Tattslotto draw.

Seventy-eight members of the first syndicate took home more than $75,315 each.

The second syndicate, which has 20 members, won each player more than $207,598.

Wyndham Village Lotto & News sold two shares in this particular syndicate.

Mr Thakur said some of the syndicate winners, who are regular customers, rang him on the night of their win.

“They were screaming, I started checking the numbers and started clicking through, then I started screaming with them too,” he said.

Mr Thakur said that five days later, another regular customer won $5000 a month, for 12 months, from a “Set for Life” ticket.

“He had just lost his job on Wednesday and the win was on Thursday,” Mr Thakur said.

“He was over the moon, he was just shaking.”

Mr Thakur said Wyndham Village Lotto & News has recorded around 15 division one wins.

“Who says lightning one strikes once? We are proof it strikes multiple times a week,” he said.

Mr Thakur said that he and his wife loved working at their business, which also sells around 40 different kinds of Indian sweets.

“I think we’re also the only Tattslotto shop in the state which offers Indian sweets,” he said.