Following the draw, she had no idea that she had won such a large sum and only became aware of the fact she had become a millionaire once she visited the Thistle Kiosk Lotto at Woden in Canberra the day after the draw had taken place. In an interview with the Canberra Times, the anonymous woman spoke of her disbelief at winning such a huge prize: “I didn't know when I walked in today to check my Powerball ticket that it was worth $35 million. I've never won anything before. I still can't believe this is happening.”
The woman, who is in her 40s, put the win down to her brother who insisted that she buy a ticket ahead of Thursday’s draw. She claimed that she didn’t gamble often but that he persuaded her to play: “I don't usually purchase an entry every week but my brother told me that the Powerball jackpot had gone off and had reached $35 million so I should buy a ticket. My brother is the regular player in the family. He religiously buys his weekly entry so he'll be really jealous but of course I'll give him some money as a big thank you.”
The lucky jackpot winner now plans to go travelling, with Europe being her most likely destination. She also indicated that her employees might not be seeing her for some time following her wonderful news. “I might tell work I'm not coming in for a year- they can cope without me,” she joked. As for the rest of her new-found wealth, the woman plans to share it with those closest to her: "I'll absolutely be sharing with family – I'll pay off my mortgage but I can also pay of my mum's mortgage and all the rest."
If you’d like to win an Australian Powerball prize of your own, tickets are available to purchase online from around the world or from authorised retailers throughout Australia. Best of luck!