Australians are racing against the clock to secure their tickets for this week’s staggering $100 million Powerball draw—the third largest jackpot of the year, says the Lott, which operates and markets Australia’s leading lottery games.
"With up to half of Australian adults expected to grab a ticket into the draw, thousands of entries per minute will be generated at lottery outlets and online right up to the draw’s close at 7:30 pm AEST on Thursday night".
"The last time Powerball offered a $100 million prize (in January 2024), the peak of sales was at 5.46pm on the day of the draw when 7,224 tickets were sold in a single minute.".
The $100 million Powerball jackpot comes after there have been no division one winning entries during the past five draws and is the sixth biggest jackpot in the game’s 28-year history.
If one person takes home the entire $100 million prize on Thursday night, they’ll share the title of Australia’s second-biggest lottery winner ever.
The Lott spokesperson Anna Hobdell said only four other Australians knew what it was like to score a Powerball prize of $100 million or more.
“Australia’s biggest lottery winner was an inner Sydney nurse who scored more than $107 million in 2019. She initially thought she’d only won $107,000 and was flabbergasted to discover her real prize was 1,000 times more,” she said.
“And during the past 12 months, we’ve seen three people each score $100 million. First was a Bankstown dad who won in June last year with a six-game QuickPick, and then a Hawthorne woman and Singleton couple shared February’s $200 million jackpot.
“These winners all had varied plans for their prizes, but there were some common themes, including enjoying long-overdue holidays around Australia and the world, and paying forward their good fortune by helping others and causes close to their hearts.
“Could Powerball crown its fifth $100 million winner this week? Only time will tell!
“If previous big jackpots are any indication, it’s going to be busy right up until the draw’s close, but don’t leave it until the last minute or you might miss out!
“And register your entry to a player card or online account as I’ll be looking to reach out to any registered division one winner straight after the draw. If you hear your phone ringing late on Thursday night, pick it up as it could be me with some life-changing news!”
Tickets into Powerball draw 1461 on Thursday 16 May 2024 can be purchased at any licenced lottery outlet or through the digital account.
