A Nerang woman was left in disbelief after initially brushing off her son’s suggestion that she might be the mystery local winner, only to later discover she had scored $740,000 in the weekend’s Saturday Gold Lotto draw.
The Gold Coast resident held one of the nine division one winning entries nationally in Saturday Gold Lotto draw 4643, drawn Saturday 17 January 2026. Each division one winning entry struck gold with a total prize of $741,935.70.
As the winning ticket wasn’t registered to The Lott Members Club, officials had no way of making contact and had to wait for her to check her ticket and come forward.
“Oh my god. I’m pretty numb right now,” she cried.
“I’ve never won anything, not even a chook raffle! I can’t believe this.
“I had absolutely no idea. I usually check my tickets later in the week but pulled in to the newsagent today while I was around.
“Just yesterday, my son sent me a thing saying someone in the area had won, and he said ‘Mum, it could be you’. I just thought ‘I highly doubt it, and I’ll check it when I check it!’.
“Gosh, my husband’s not going to believe me!
“I’ve been playing for decades. It’s life-changing.
“I just can’t believe I’ve won $740,000. I’ve never had that amount of money sitting in my bank account.”
With a six-figure windfall about to land in her lap, the gleeful woman shared she’d pay off her house and tick travelling to Alaska off her bucket list.
“It’s always been a dream to pay off my house, and now I can!” she said.
“I’d also love to do a holiday. I’ve always wanted to go to Alaska.”
The winning entry was purchased from Nerang Fair News & Gifts, Shop 15, Nerang Fair Shopping Centre, 74 Nerang-Beaudesert Road, Nerang.
Nerang Fair News & Gifts team member Desiree Cassidy said she and the team were thrilled to sell another division one winning entry.
“It’s very exciting! Many people had been coming in to check their tickets and see if they’re the mystery winner,” she said.
“We’ve sold several division one winning tickets here, and lots of customers say we’re their lucky spot.
“Congratulations to the fortunate winner. We’re very happy to be a part of their life-changing win.”
The winning numbers in Saturday Gold Lotto draw 4643 on 17 January 2026 were 38, 8, 35, 19, 44 and 9, while the supplementary numbers were 23 and 33.
Across Australia, there were nine division one winning entries in Saturday Gold Lotto draw 4643 – three each in Victoria and Western Australia, two in Queensland, and one in New South Wales.