A Victorian man who scored the entire $50 million Powerball jackpot has revealed he deleted the first email telling him of his winnings because he “assumed it was junk”. Officials were initially unable to contact the lucky Wyndham Vale dad on Thursday night, as his ticket was registered with an old phone number. However, an email from The Lott finally piqued his interest just enough for him to investigate.
The man said he was “in shock” when he realised it was all true. “I actually saw (the) first email and I didn’t even open it - I assumed it was junk and deleted it,” he said. “But then I received another email, and I thought, ‘Maybe I’ll check the app’.”
“I’m in shock - I’m just sitting here watching the footy with my son. When my wife gets home, have I got news for her! I think she won’t believe me, but when I show her the ticket she’ll get the shakes and start crying. I’m just trying to comprehend this moment.”
The man won the jackpot after purchasing a $6.30 ticket, saying he only ever plays “the smallest entry”. He normally uses birthday numbers but decided to select random numbers for the draw, choosing number 14 for the Powerball number as it’s his favourite football number.
The man told The Lott he wanted to “be humble” with his new-found wealth, splitting it between helping the community and buying a new home in the same suburb he and his family currently reside in. Draw No. 1556 on Thursday night produced the winning numbers 5, 6, 18, 9, 14, 4 and 13, with Powerball number 14.
While one winning ticket walked away with the top prize, other Aussies also celebrated. A trio of lucky Aussies managed to snag a division two prize, taking home more than $800,000. This follows last week’s Powerball after no division one winners were found for the Thursday night draw.
