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South Australian claims $150m Powerball win – but still turns up to work

An Adelaide man who has become Australia’s biggest individual lottery winner is “pinching himself” after claiming the $150 million Powerball jackpot, but still went to work this morning.

May 24, 2024, updated May 24, 2024
Photo: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Photo: Mick Tsikas/AAP

The man, who bought the winning ticket from the OTR Drive Thru at Salisbury, contacted official lottery provider The Lott on Friday morning to confirm his win.

He told them he had checked his two tickets for the draw late on Thursday night, and when he scanned the second one and it said “$150 million”.

“I’ve never screamed so loud or jumped so high,” he said on Friday.

“Woohoo! I’m still pinching myself. I still haven’t slept. I’ve just kept checking the ticket.”

He held the only division-one winning entry nationwide in Powerball draw 1462 on Thursday night.

“I can’t believe it … I’m Australia’s biggest lottery winner ever,” he said.

“I normally play Powerball, so yesterday was a particularly lucky day! I just bought my ticket as I was filling up the car the other day and randomly bought my ticket there. I can’t believe I walked away with the winning ticket,” he said.

“I know it may sound crazy but I’m going to continue working. I’m at work today.

“I’ll buy a house, want to travel the world and I’ve got a family and friends I want to help, but for now I can’t wrap my head around how big this prize is.

“This is life changing. I can’t stop smiling and pinching myself. I can’t believe my luck.”

The $150 million was the third-largest lottery prize in Australian history, behind a $200 million Powerball win shared between two people in February and a $160 million jackpot in 2022 split between three ticket holders.

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The winner was not registered to a card or online account, so the winner’s identity was initially a mystery, prompting The Lott to issue a call for the ticket holder to contact them.

The jackpot had risen to $150 million after no entries scored the division one prize in the previous $100 million draw, prompting the lottery’s top prize to roll higher for the sixth consecutive week.

The odds of a single entry winning the division-one prize are more than 134 million to one – about the same chance as being struck by lightning twice in a lifetime.

– AAP

Topics: lotto
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