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While Aussies will vie for the chance to win this Tuesday’s $70 million Oz Lotto jackpot and become a millionaire before the year ends some have unknowingly already won a major lottery prize and simply need to check their ticket.
There are currently 20 unclaimed division one and major lottery prizes across Australia worth almost $18 million (see Table 1 below). Seven each in Queensland and New South Wales, two in the ACT and Western Australia, and one each in Victoria and South Australia.
These winning tickets were not registered to a player card or an online account, so lottery officials have no way of identifying or contacting the mystery winners to unite them with their prize.
The Lott spokesperson Matt Hart said the list of unclaimed prizes was a great reminder for players grabbing an entry into Tuesday night’s $70 million Oz Lotto draw to register their entries.
“As it’s one of the last big jackpots of 2023, we’re expecting up to one-in-five Australian adults to have an entry in this week’s Oz Lotto draw,” he said.
“With $70 million on the table, it’s a chance to start the new year as a multi-millionaire. I’m sure many Aussies are dreaming about what 2024 and beyond might look like with a prize of that magnitude.
“We’ll be standing by after Tuesday night’s draw waiting to reach out to any registered division one winners, so make sure you register your entries for the chance to receive that life-changing phone call.”
The $70 million prize is the biggest jackpot offered by Oz Lotto in more than four years and is the fourth biggest jackpot offered by Oz Lotto in the game’s 30-year history.
It’s also the second-biggest prize offered by any Australian lottery game this year – only surpassed by the $100 million Powerball draws in June and August.
The $70 million jackpot comes after there were no division one winners for the past eight Oz Lotto draws.
So far this year, there have been 13 Oz Lotto division one wins across Australia that have collectively taken home more than $233 million in prize money.
Of these division one winning entries, three each landed in New South Wales and Victoria, two each in Queensland, Tasmania, and Western Australia, and one in South Australia.
Mr Hart said the amount of time people had to claim their lottery prizes varies from state to state.
“In Queensland, people have seven years to claim their lottery prizes, but in Victoria, people have only 12 months to claim their wins directly from us – after which time they can claim from the Victorian Government,” he said.
“The oldest unclaimed division one win is in Queensland - a ticket purchased in Lutwyche won a Saturday Gold Lotto prize worth more than $1.3 million from a draw held in December 2016. There are only days left to claim this prize.
“One of the most recent unclaimed division one wins was from last month – a ticket purchased in Bentleigh won a TattsLotto prize of more than $653,000.
“The biggest unclaimed lottery win is a $4.8 million Set for Life win from April 2021 with an entry purchased in Woden in the ACT.
“As you’re cleaning up around the home this festive season, keep an eye out for any unchecked lottery tickets. You could be one of the winners we’re looking for.”
Table 1: Unclaimed major lottery prizes across Australia
| Brand | Draw no. | Win date | Selling outlet | Outlet suburb | Outlet state | Division one prize |
| Saturday Gold Lotto | 3699 | 31-Dec-16 | Lutwyche News & Gifts | Lutwyche | Qld | $1,347,826.09 |
| Saturday Gold Lotto | 3787 | 4-Nov-17 | Nextra Capalaba Park News | Capalaba | Qld | $369,059.13 |
| Lucky Lotteries Mega Jackpot | 1235 | 28-Feb-18 | Top End Newsagent Katoomba | Katoomba | NSW | $200,000.00 |
| Saturday Gold Lotto | 3867 | 11-Aug-18 | Golden Lucky News | Helensvale | Qld | $671,513.12 |
| Saturday Lotto | 3905 | 22-Dec-18 | Connection Newsagency | Sydney | NSW | $1,018,499.24 |
| Lucky Lotteries Mega Jackpot | 1249 | 15-Mar-19 | Nextra Wynnum Plaza | Wynnum West | Qld | $200,000.00 |
| Lucky Lotteries Super Jackpot | 10280 | 1-Apr-19 | NewsExtra Springwood Mall | Springwood | Qld | $100,000.00 |
| Lucky Lotteries Mega Jackpot | 1278 | 15-Apr-19 | Yagoona Newsagency | Yagoona | NSW | $200,000.00 |
| Saturday Gold Lotto | 3961 | 6-Jul-19 | Gatton Plaza Newsagency | Gatton | Qld | $774,838.34 |
| Saturday Gold Lotto | 3967 | 27-Jul-19 | News Worx | Victoria Point | Qld | $1,000,000.00 |
| Lucky Lotteries Mega Jackpot | 1411 | 2-Aug-19 | Governor Macquarie Drive Newsagency | Chipping Norton | NSW | $200,000.00 |
| Set for Life | 2072 | 8-Apr-21 | Thistle Kiosk | Woden | ACT | $4,800,000.00 |
| Saturday Lotto | 4147 | 17-Apr-21 | Winston Hills Newsagency | Winston Hills | NSW | $1,145,653.60 |
| Lucky Lotteries Super Jackpot | 10467 | 7-Jun-21 | Anna Bay Newsagency & Post Office | Anna Bay | NSW | $100,000.00 |
| Saturday Lotto | 4277 | 16-Jul-22 | Gifted & More Kaleen | Kaleen | ACT | $537,806.77 |
| Lucky Lotteries Super Jackpot | 10739 | 19-Dec-22 | Walsh's Village Pharmacy | Maroubra South | NSW | $100,000.00 |
| Monday & Wednesday Lotto# | 4273 | 29-Mar-23 | Jackpot Lottery Centre | Mirrabooka | WA | $1,000,000.00 |
| Saturday Lotto# | 4395 | 2-Sep-23 | Good Fortune Lottery | Maddington | WA | $2,500,000.00 |
| Monday & Wednesday X Lotto | 4325 | 27-Sep-23 | BP Mawson Lakes | Mawson Lakes | SA | $1,000,000.00 |
| TattsLotto | 4417 | 18-Nov-23 | The News Centre | Bentleigh | Vic | $653,226.42 |
*Editor’s note: this is the draw date, not the entry purchase date. Entries could have been purchased up to 10 weeks in advance of a draw. # Lotterywest is the lottery operator in Western Australia
Tickets into the $70 million Oz Lotto draw 1557 on Tuesday 19 December 2023 can be purchased at thelott.com, via The Lott app or at a licensed lottery outlet until 7.30pm AEST.