Christmas came early for a Central Highlands grandma who discovered on Christmas Eve she had become a Gold Lotto millionaire a week earlier.
The rural Queensland player held the only division one winning entry nationally in Monday & Wednesday Gold Lotto draw 4035, drawn Wednesday 16 December 2020. She pockets a $1 million division one prize.
Confirming her win with an official from The Lott, the overwhelmed woman confessed she had been too busy getting ready for Christmas celebrations with her family to check her million-dollar-winning ticket.
“I’ve settled down a bit now. It’s unbelievable!” she declared.
“I usually play Powerball and play the same numbers. But I just decided to get a QuickPick in Gold Lotto out of the blue!
“I just didn’t get the chance to check my ticket as I always do. You should always check your entry!
“When I found out I had won a million dollars, I just had the shakes. I could barely talk. I just started crying. My family didn’t know what was going on. When I told them the news, they started crying too. We were all crying. Everyone’s just in shock.
“I used to say to my husband, ‘I’ll win Lotto one day’. He didn’t believe me, but it’s happened.
“It’s a dream come true. Never in my wildest dreams would I think I would win so much money. I just don’t think in figures that big!”
The Central Queensland battler said she and her family had been through some tough times in recent years, but looked forward to a more stress-free 2021.
“If you’re wise, a million is a lot of money,” she said.
“This is the best Christmas ever! I don’t need a Christmas present now. This means the world to me and my family.”
The winning numbers in Monday & Wednesday Gold Lotto draw 4035 on Wednesday 16 December 2020 were 16, 2, 24, 8, 37, and 44, while the supplementary numbers were 38 and 9.
Across Australia, there was only one division one winning entry in Monday & Wednesday Gold Lotto draw 4035 – the entry from Queensland.
The Lott’s division one winning tally has now reached 205 so far this financial year, including 47 won by Golden Casket customers.
Last financial year, Monday & Wednesday Gold Lotto created 86 millionaires across Australia.
Between 1 July 2019 and 30 June 2020, there were 101 division one winning Monday & Wednesday Gold Lotto entries across Australia, which collectively won more than $98 million.