While other people were picking up bargains at the shops yesterday, a Samford mum collected a Powerball division one prize of more than $24 million.
The Moreton Bay Region player held the only division one winning entry nationally in Powerball draw 1232 on Thursday 26 December 2019.
In addition to winning division one, the winner’s entry also scored division three 7 times, bolstering her total prize to $24,328,527.22.
However, amid the chaos of Christmas festivities, the woman hadn’t had the chance to check her entry and was oblivious to her multi-million dollar win until a Golden Casket official made contact this morning.
“Oh my God!” she exclaimed.
“Thank you so much. I don’t know what to say,” she said while crying.
“It’s a lot. It’s incredible.
“It is something I’ve only ever dreamed about. It happens to other people, not people like me.
“I was asleep when you rang and nearly didn’t answer the phone. I can’t believe it! Oh my God.”
“I’m going to sh** myself!” her husband exclaimed in the background.
The regular Powerball player explained she had ditched playing her favourite numbers on a marked entry in recent times, instead opting for a QuickPick entry.
When asked if she knew what she might do with her multi-million-dollar prize, the winner had no hesitation.
“I know exactly what I’ll do. I’ll share it with my kids,” she declared.
“It’s not all sinking in at the moment. It’s a dream.
“I’ve never had a phone call like this before.
“I just can’t figure out what this means right now, but it’s huge. It’s a dream. It just changes everything for us.”
“Are there any good islands for sale?” her husband joked.
The winner, who wishes to remain anonymous, purchased her winning 4-game System 8 entry online at thelott.com – Australia’s official lotteries.
The numbers drawn in last night’s Powerball draw 1232 on Thursday 26 December 2019 were 27, 17, 26, 12, 23, 7 and 9, and the Powerball was number 2.
Across Australia, there was one division one winning entry in Powerball draw 1232, the entry from Queensland.
The Lott’s division one winning tally has now reached 367 so far this calendar year.
In the 12 months to 30 June 2019, 10 Powerball division one winners across Australia pocketed more than $398.5 million in prize money.
During this time, the biggest individual Powerball prize was $107,575,649.08, which was won by a Sydney healthcare worker on 17 January 2019. Her windfall set a new record for Australia’s biggest individual lottery winner.