A group of 55 women from a small, ladies-only gym in Beldon, a northern suburb of Perth, has claimed Western Australia's largest-ever division one lotto win. The syndicate won Thursday night's $80 million Powerball jackpot, with each member set to receive approximately $1.45 million.
One of the winners, Lorna—now nicknamed 'Lucky Lorna'—told ABC Radio Perth she initially thought someone was pranking her when she learned the news. She was unable to attend a Christmas dinner where her fellow winners were celebrating, but received a call from a gym member informing her of the win. Lorna said she realized it was real when she heard screaming and champagne corks popping in the background.
The women each contributed $5 for a share of the Slikpik 50 winning ticket, purchased from a newsagent in Ocean Reef. Gym owner and syndicate organizer Sue described the win as 'surreal' and said she felt like 'the biggest Santa Claus in the world' for buying the ticket that changed their lives.
Sue noted that the gym is a close-knit community of women from diverse backgrounds, many of whom are 'battlers' who are now millionaires. The group plans to visit Lotterywest to see the winners' room. They celebrated by ordering the 'finest bottle' of champagne upon confirming the win.
Lotterywest acting chief executive Jeremy Hubble called the win a history-making moment for WA, surpassing the previous record of $50 million set in 2015. The $80 million jackpot also ties for the third-largest Powerball win nationally.
