A Powerball entry that was gifted to a St Albans woman has changed her and her family’s lives forever after it revealed itself to be worth an incredible $40 million.
The Melbourne winner held one of two division one winning entries nationally in Powerball draw 1357, drawn Thursday 19 May 2022. She took home $40 million, splitting the $80 million jackpot with a New South Wales player.
Speaking with an official from The Lott this morning, the elated and shell-shocked woman said she was still struggling to process the fact she’d become a multi-millionaire.
“I’m still shocked. I’ve barely slept since I discovered the win,” she said.
“It’s hard to put the feeling of knowing you’ve won $40 million into words. I don’t think it’s truly hit me yet.
“The ticket was a gift, but I didn’t check it immediately.
“When I did check it though, I immediately called out to my family and they were just as shocked as I was.
“There were definitely plenty of cheers and tears!
“First and foremost, I’ll be looking to help my family and share it with them. I’ll need some time, though to think about what else to do.
“I’ll obviously buy a home, and I’d love to travel to Japan and the United States. I’d love to go everywhere!
“You always wonder about what you would do if something like this were to happen, and now it has happened, I have no idea what to do!
“It’s such a blessing, but I need to really sit down and just process it now. It’s life-changing, and I just can’t believe it’s happened to me.
“I’m so thankful.”
Her winning 8-game QuickPick entry was purchased at Sunshine Marketplace Lotto, Kiosk 1 Sunshine Marketplace, 80 Harvester Road, Sunshine.
Sunshine Marketplace Lotto owner Yen Le-Mai said she felt like she’d won the $40 million jackpot when she realised one of the division one winning tickets had been sold at her store.
“I was oblivious to it until a friend of mine contacted me to congratulate me on selling the winning ticket,” she said.
“At that moment, I felt I’d personally won. I was so excited and overwhelmed by the news.
“I’ll be celebrating this incredible event with balloons and decorations for my store and letting all my customers know about this exciting win.
“It’s created such a buzz. All of our customers are so happy for us but are especially happy for their fellow customer who won!
“I want to wish the winner all the best for the future. I’m sure they’ll be able to do whatever they like with their prize of $40 million.”
The winning numbers in Powerball draw 1357 on Thursday 19 May 2022 were 15, 34, 5, 11, 28, 8, 27. The all-important Powerball number was 3.
Across Australia, there were two division one winning entries in Powerball draw 1357 – One each in New South Wales and Victoria.