A $40 million Powerball prize has been claimed weeks after the jackpot was drawn, with the winner revealing he had unknowingly carried the ticket in his wallet.
Winner Steps Forward After Unregistered Ticket
The lucky player held the only division one winning entry for Powerball draw 1571 on June 25. However, his identity remained a mystery as he hadn’t registered the ticket, meaning The Lott couldn’t contact him directly.
News of the unknown winner reached a man in Woden, Canberra, almost two weeks after the draw. He had unknowingly been carrying the winning ticket in his wallet and never thought to check if he had won.
“I’m still in shock,” he told The Lott. “I just can’t believe it, I had no idea until a couple of days ago.”
“I completely forgot about my ticket until I saw on the news that they were looking for a winner with an unregistered ticket. I thought, ‘maybe it’s me’.”
“The ticket had just been sitting in my wallet this whole time. I really still can’t believe it.”
Winner Plans to Continue Working
Despite the life-changing windfall, the winner stated, “I still plan to work,” revealing he intends to save much of the money for his “future children and grandchildren”.
It was the seventh division one ticket to be sold at the Thistle Kiosk in Westfield Woden. Current owner Rudy Lu said he had sold two of those tickets in as many years.
“When I saw the news there was an unregistered winner in Canberra, I had a feeling it was us that sold it,” Lu said. “Congratulations to the winner, we wish you all the best and hope you spend it wisely.”
