While many Aussies will vie for the chance to win this Thursday’s $60 million Powerball jackpot, some players have unknowingly already won a division one lottery prize and simply need to check their tickets.
There are currently 23 unclaimed division one and major lottery prizes across Australia worth almost $25 million (contact us for the full list). There are nine each in Queensland and New South Wales, two are in the ACT and there’s 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 to register their entries when grabbing a ticket into this week’s $60 million Powerball draw.
“As one of the first big jackpots of 2022, we’re expecting up to one-in-six Australian adults to have an entry in their hands for this week’s Powerball draw,” he said.
“With $60 million on the table, it’s a chance to start the year as a multi-millionaire. I’m sure many Aussies are dreaming about what the rest of 2022 and the rest of their lives might look like with a prize of this magnitude.
“We’ll be standing by after Thursday 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.”
In 2021, 14 Powerball division one winners across Australia pocketed more than $550.1 million in prize money. Of these wins, seven landed in New South Wales, four in Queensland, two in Victoria and one in Western Australia.
Mr Hart said the amount of time people had to claim their lottery prizes varied from state to state.
“In Queensland, people have seven years to claim their lottery prizes, but in Victoria, players have only six months to claim their prizes directly from us – after this time they can claim their prizes from the Victorian Government,” he said.
“The oldest unclaimed division one win is in Queensland – in June 2015, a ticket purchased in Morayfield won a Saturday Gold Lotto prize worth $1 million.
“One of the most recent unclaimed division one wins was from just last month – a ticket purchased in Cobber Pedy won a Monday X Lotto prize of $1 million.
“The biggest unclaimed lottery win is a $4.8 million Set for Life win from April last year from an entry purchased in Woden in the ACT.
“As you’re cleaning up around the home this January, getting ready for the year ahead, keep an eye out for any unchecked lottery tickets. You could be the winner we’re looking for.”
The $60 million Powerball draw, draw 1338, is on 6 January 2022. The draw closes at 7.30pm AEST on 6 January 2022, with the draw conducted shortly afterwards.