NSW couple kept winning lottery ticket in safe, didn't claim it for eight months

A NSW couple did not let lottery officials know they had won $100,000 for eight months, keeping the winning ticket in a safe the entire time.

The pair won the cash prize in the Lucky Lotteries Super Jackpot on August 10 last year, but never registered their ticket.

As a result, officials from The Lott had no way of contacting them.

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And the couple from Maclean on the NSW North Coast decided not to come forward straight away.

"We've actually known we won this prize the entire time," the man said.

"We've kept it in a safe ever since that day. We planned to just let the news sink in before we claimed the prize.

"For us, it's like a million dollars, so we wanted to be sensible with our prize and make sure we used it wisely."

The couple have been making plans for how they would spend their winnings.

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"We have a few bills we want to pay first," the woman said.

"Then we both want to help our families and there are a few things the kids need.

"The rest we want to keep in the bank for a rainy day.

"All of our money stress has completely disappeared, which is amazing for us."

There are set amounts of time lottery winners have to claim their winnings, though it varies state-by-state.

Queenslanders have seven years, those in NSW have six, while players in Victoria and Tasmania only have six months.

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