Jackpot Winners From Melbourne and Sydney
The two players both matched 3, 13, 27, 31, 32, 33 and 35, plus the Powerball 3, on Thursday 16th August to share the nine-figure Australia Powerball windfall, defying jackpot-winning odds of 1 in 134 million to become overnight multi-millionaires.
The winner from Melbourne, Victoria, who bought his ticket online, has decided to remain anonymous. He said: “I’m trying to remain as calm as possible. I only bought this entry last night on the Oz Lotteries app before the draw closed. I’m going to do the right thing. This win is life-changing. I’m going to look after my whole family – invest money in property and shares. It will make a massive difference to a lot of people.”
The winner in Sydney, New South Wales, purchased their lucky ticket from a newsagents in the Canterbury-Bankstown region in the South-West of the city. However, because their entry wasn’t registered to an official playing card, lottery officials from New South Wales can’t get in touch with the elusive ticket holder to let them know of their incredible win. They still need to come forward to claim their prize, but all lottery winners in the state have up to six years from the date of a draw to do so.
One in three Australian adults reportedly entered the draw which captured the imagination of the country’s public, and there were over 3.5 million winners on the night as ticket sales soared. 15 tickets matched all seven main numbers to take home AU$122,896, and they were just the Powerball number short of receiving a share of the historic jackpot themselves. Such was the excitement for the Powerball draw that the official Australian lottery website crashed before the winning numbers were drawn.
Sydney Winner Urged To Come Forward
Matthew Hart, an Australia Powerball spokesperson, has urged players in the Canterbury-Bankstown area to double check their tickets just in case they’re the mysterious Sydney-based winner. He said: “Players can check their entry at any outlet, online at thelott.com or on the Lott app. If you check your ticket and discover you are holding the winning ticket, we recommend you keep it safe and contact 131 868 to start the process of claiming your prize."
“Make sure you check your entry tonight or first thing in the morning because you may not have to go to work. Instead, you could start planning how you can play by your own rules and begin your life as a multi-millionaire.”
The jackpot had rolled over for eight consecutive draws prior to Thursday’s win, after a jackpot of AU$3 million was won on 14th June. This is only the second time in the country’s history that any jackpot has reached the AU$100 million mark - the only other occasion was in an Oz Lotto draw in 2012, when the top prize was also shared. The AU$70 million jackpot won in 2016 by a couple in Hervey Bay, Queensland, remains the biggest prize won by an individual ticket in Australia, dwarfing the AU$55 million jackpot won earlier this year.
