Five days after the draw, Melbourne’s newest multi-millionaire has come forward to claim their $20 million Powerball division one prize, halting The Lott’s search for the elusive winner.
The Victorian player held the only division one winning entry nationally in Powerball draw 1280, drawn Thursday 26 November 2020, and takes home the entire division one prize of $20 million.
The ticket was unregistered, so officials from The Lott had no way of contacting the winner to break the mind-blowing news. Instead, they had to wait for the ticketholder to check their ticket and come forward to claim their prize.
However, how the winner plans to play by their own rules and enjoy life as a multi-millionaire will forever remain a mystery as they have chosen to remain completely anonymous and celebrate in private.
The winning entry was sold at Doveton News and Lotto, 7 Autumn Place, Doveton.
Doveton News and Lotto owner Prince Narula said he was thrilled his mystery winner had been united with their prize.
“Our customers have been so excited to know we’ve sold such a big prize. It’s all they talk about!” he exclaimed.
“They will be happy to hear that the winner has discovered the news and claimed their prize.
“We wish our customer all the best! We hope they enjoy every moment!”
The Lott spokesperson Bronwyn Spencer said she was glad the team could call off the search for the mystery winner.
“We’re in the business of paying prizes, so it’s always a win when a division one win is claimed by its rightful owner,” she said.
“While we may not know how the winner plans to enjoy their multi-million dollar prize, we are sure their upcoming summer will be one they’ll remember forever.
“Seeing out 2020 with $20 million in your bank account is a dream come true for many players, and we hope our mystery winner enjoys their winning moment for years to come.”
The winning numbers in Powerball draw 1280 on Thursday 26 November 2020 were 30, 20, 7, 3, 25, 21 and 31. The all-important Powerball number was 2.
Across Australia, there was one division one winning entry in Powerball draw 1280 – one from Victoria.
The Lott’s division one winning tally has now reached 178 so far this financial year, including 72 won by Tatts customers.
Between 1 July 2019 and 30 June 2020, 14 Powerball division one winners across Australia pocketed more than $526.29 million in prize money.
During this time, Powerball offered a $150 million jackpot, the largest prize ever offered by an Australian lottery game, which was shared by three division one winners.
Of the 14 Powerball division one winning entries in FY20, seven landed in Queensland, four in New South Wales, two in Victoria and one in South Australia.