EDITOR’S NOTE: To allow time for the Ipswich winner to come forward in private, details of the outlet that sold the winning ticket will not be released until 9am (AEST) Saturday 21 September. A further update will be provided sooner if the winner comes forward.
The search for the third division one winner of last night’s record-breaking $150 million Powerball draw has been narrowed down to Ipswich in Queensland.
Earlier this morning the Lott revealed an inner-city Brisbane man and a Sydney dad held two of the three division one winning entries, each claiming their life-changing $50 million division one prize.
The players each held one of the three division one winning entries nationally in Powerball draw 1218 on Thursday 19 September 2019, each entry takes home a division one prize of $50 million.
The identity of the third division one winner still remains a mystery but the Lott has narrowed down the search for the Sunshine State’s second multi-millionaire to Ipswich.
Lotteries officials are urging all Ipswich players who had an entry into last night’s draw to check their tickets and make contact to claim their prize.
The Lott spokesperson Lauren Cooney said she was excited to reveal that someone who had purchased an entry in Ipswich had woken up $50 million richer. “If you purchased an entry into last night’s draw from an outlet in Ipswich, you have fifty million reasons why you should check your ticket as soon as possible.
“We were so thrilled to hear from two of our three division one winners this morning and now we can’t wait to speak to the third winner.
“Imagine how your plans for the weekend, the year and the rest of your life would change if you discovered you were a multi-millionaire!
“If you discover you’re holding the division one winning entry, hold on tight to that ticket and phone 131 868 as soon as possible so that we can start the prize claim process!”
Ms Conney revealed that the Ipswich region was no stranger to large wins with this major prize the second to land in the area this year.
“In June we saw a $40 million Oz Lotto prize land in Ipswich when a loving mum scored the multi-million dollar division one prize,” she explained.
“The woman laughed with disbelief when we broke the news and said she found her new multi-millionaire status ‘weird’.
“Will our latest winner feel the same? We are dying to find out so we hope they check their ticket soon so we can unite them with their prize!”
SLEEPY INNER-CITY BRISBANE MAN CLAIMS $50 MILLION PRIZE
A Golden Casket official had the exciting job of confirming the life-changing news with the sleepless Queensland man this morning.
“Oh thank you,” he cried with happiness.
“I am so incredibly overwhelmed.
“I checked my ticket late last night after the draw.
“I’ve been wide awake ever since. I couldn’t sleep at all. But I really didn’t want to get my hopes up.
“I can’t believe it. Are you sure it’s me? Are you positive?
“You buy a ticket into these draws but never think it is actually going to be you.
“I can’t believe it. I really can’t believe it.”
The winner, who wishes to remain anonymous, purchased his life-changing entry at Mater News Central, Shop B, 550 Stanley Street, South Brisbane.
SYDNEY DAD WAKES UP TO NEWS OF $50 MILLION POWERBALL WIN
A Sydney dad is still trying to get his head around the news he’s woken up a multi-millionaire after scoring division one in last night’s Powerball draw.
Confirming the life-changing revelation this morning, the dad struggled to find the words to explain how he was feeling.
“I can’t believe it,” he eventually managed.
“I am speechless.
“How would anyone feel? I don’t even think this is real at the moment.
“Are you sure you’re serious?
“My god. I just told my wife. She was getting the kids ready for school and she does not believe me!
“I only bought my ticket last minute when I was at work yesterday because everyone else was buying them!
“I thought, ‘you’ve got to be in it to win it’ so I bought one. And I am so glad I did!
“I think I might have to take the day off work to calm down and think about how I will use this prize. There’s no way I’d be able to concentrate!”
The winner, who wishes to remain anonymous, purchased his entry online at OzLotteries.com. Jumbo Interactive operates OzLotteries.com and the OzLotteries App, which sell official lottery tickets as an authorised reseller of Tabcorp. Jumbo Interactive is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX:JIN).
In addition to the three $50 million division one winners, there were 4,648,104 winners across divisions two to nine in tonight's Powerball draw who collectively took home more than $81.87 million.
In the 12 months to 30 June 2019, 10 Powerball division one winners across Australia pocketed more than $398.5 million in prize money.
During this time, the biggest individual Powerball prize was $107,575,649.08, which was won by a Sydney healthcare worker on 17 January 2019. Her windfall set a new record for Australia’s biggest individual lottery winner.
The winning numbers in Powerball’s $150 million draw on Thursday 19 September were 26, 4, 17, 5, 18, 8 and 31. The all-important Powerball number was 9.
Across Australia, there were three division one winning entries in Powerball draw 1218 – two entries from Queensland and one entry from New South Wales.
The Lott’s division one winning tally has now reached 266 so far this calendar year.