Sharing is caring and Australian division one winners have proved just that, revealing exactly how many people they’ve chosen to share their lottery prize with – and it’s more than many might think.
Ahead of this weekend’s Saturday Lotto $20 Million Superdraw, the Lott surveyed previous division one winners and asked them how many people their prize had directly benefited.
Amazingly, over a third of players surveyed proudly announced the number of beneficiaries of their win had crept into the double digits. While the remaining two-thirds (65.6%) of respondents were also a generous bunch, sharing their windfall with ten or less of their loved ones.
These gifts to their family and friends didn’t include donations to charities. In fact, 28.3% of winners said they also made donations to organisations close to their hearts using their windfall.
Whether it was a new car for mum or helping to their son with a house deposit, the Lott spokesperson Lauren Cooney said many division one winners were eager to use their prize to make a difference to their nearest and dearest.
“Whether they have shared it with hundreds of people or just one person, there is no doubt out winners are a sharing, caring bunch,” she explained.
“One of our most generous respondents shared they believed their prize had benefitted 100 people, while another open-handed winner said their division one prize had directly benefitted 60 people.
“This group of division one winners has certainly shown their generosity and have enjoyed celebrating their win with their closest family and friends.
“Several used their prizes to take their friends on an unforgettable all-expenses-paid holiday, while one said they were happy to be able to be able to pay the bills of a friend who was fighting cancer.
“One of my favourite winners was a teacher who used some of her windfall to pay for food for students without breakfast or lunch.
“One winner even offered this advice for future winners: Luck doesn’t happen all the time. Once you have won, don’t waste it, help people who you can help’.”
So far in 2020, there have been four Saturday Lotto Superdraws, with 56 division one winning entries across the country collecting $80 million in division one prize money.
For every Superdraw this year at least one of the division one winning entries has been held by a syndicate, which have included workmates to tight-knit families.
“In June, we had a Queensland family share a division one prize of more than $740,000. They’d marked their winning numbers based on family birthdays, other lucky numbers and the number of chickens they had roaming around the backyard,” Miss Cooney said.
“Earlier this year, we also had two Victorian workmates, who are no longer colleagues thanks to the win, share a $2 million prize. After buying lottery tickets together for years, when the pair won the big one, one planned to retire while the other said they’d keep working.
“Whether you choose to share your prize, quit your job, or keep working, we’re looking forward to hearing your plans if you win division one this weekend.
“For those entering the Saturday Lotto $20 Million Superdraw, make sure you register your entry so we can reach out to you after the draw if you score division one.”
Between 1 July 2019 and 30 June 2020, there were 318 division one winning Saturday Lotto entries across Australia, which collectively won more than $346.12 million.
The Saturday Lotto $20 Million Superdraw, Saturday Lotto draw 4083, will take place on Saturday 5 September 2020.
Tickets can be purchased at any licensed lottery outlet, online from thelott.com or via the Lott mobile app.
The home of Australia’s Official Lotteries, the Lott operates and markets Australia’s leading lottery games customers know and love creating everyday winners, winning every day.
Last financial year, more than 104.9 million winners took home more than $3.45 billion in prize money from their favourite games at the Lott, including Saturday Lotto, Monday and Wednesday Lotto, Powerball, Oz Lotto, Set for Life, Lucky Lotteries, Keno, Super 66, Lotto Strike and Instant Scratch-Its.
In the 12 months to 30 June 2020, Australia’s Official Lotteries contributed more than $1.4 billion via state lottery taxes and donations to help community initiatives, such as hospitals, health research, disaster relief and education.
