A woman from Hawthorne, Queensland, has come forward to claim a $100 million share from the historic $200 million Powerball draw on February 1, 2024 ending the hunt for the mystery winner.
The record-breaking draw has etched her name alongside another winner from New South Wales, making them the latest multi-millionaires in Australian history.
The Queensland woman’s winning entry was unregistered, meaning lotto officials had no way to contact the mystery winner and had to wait for her to come forward to claim her prize.
She contacted lotto officials to confirm the shocking discovery after checking her ticket.
"Oh my god. Is this even real?!” she gasped when officials from The Lott confirmed the newfound fortune.
“This feels like a dream, and I just need to wake up!
“I’m in shock. I don’t know what to say. $100 million is a lot of money – it’s epically big!
“It was an early wakeup call when I decided to pull my ticket out at 6am to check it while getting ready for the gym.
“I scanned the ticket on The Lott app and all the winning numbers immediately lit up and I saw that I’d won $100 million on my phone.
“I started to pace the floor back and forth and question if it was even real. I didn’t know who to call or what to say. I was slapping my face and telling myself to wake up!
“I immediately hopped into my car, held onto the ticket for dear life and called my dad for some advice.
“Last week I had a Powerball entry into the $150 million draw, and I had won on that ticket. I decided to use the winnings to purchase another ticket into the record-breaking $200 million draw.
“It’s a funny story actually. I was really hungry and needed to grab myself something to eat when I decided to pop into the local newsagency after grabbing myself a scone – I don’t even like scones!
“When I saw the $200 million prize on offer in Powerball, I said to myself, ‘I’m going to win this!’ and look where I am now – oh my god, it’s life-changing!
“It’s going to change a lot of people’s lives. It’s going to do a lot of good.
“I’ll remember this moment for the rest of my life.
“Gym is cancelled for today and champagne is on the house!”
When asked how she planned to enjoy her life moving forward as a newly minted multi-millionaire, the Queenslander said she couldn’t wait to help others, go on an overseas odyssey, and start her own business venture.
“I've wanted to change my job for a while, and some people might question why I have decided to wake up and continue to work, but I have studied hard to get where I am today, and I really want to continue to help others,” she said.
“I really want to change the course of direction with my career, and it was the reason why I bought the ticket in the first place. At the end of the day, money will not change who I am.
“I’ve always wanted to start up my own business and I don’t know where to begin but now it will be within reach.
“I’d love to purchase some acreage in Queensland and even take my loved ones to Italy next year for a beautiful holiday!
“What a dream come true.”
Her winning entry was purchased at Oxford Street News, Shop 3, 134 Oxford Street, Bulimba.
The Oxford Street News owner Donna Bradshaw said she screamed with joy upon discovering her newsagency sold a division one winning entry in the record-breaking $200 million Powerball draw.
“We’re in absolute awe. I can’t stop shaking and I can’t wait to ring my husband to tell him the news. It feels like we’ve won ourselves,” she said.
“I started to scream with joy and excitement when I first found out we had sold a division one winning entry. It wasn’t long after that tears started to flow down my face.
“It’s been a long-time coming! Eleven whole years since we’ve sold a division one winning entry and to be the only retailer to sell a division one winning entry in the record-breaking $200 million Powerball draw is truly amazing.
“This is an unforgettable moment and we’re going to celebrate it all month. Our locals will be absolutely over the moon.
“Congratulations to the lovely woman who scored this life-changing prize. Thank you for supporting Oxford Street News and we hope to see you again in the future.”
The winning numbers in Powerball draw 1446 on Thursday 1 February 2024 were 12, 33, 23, 35, 1, 26 and 32. The all-important Powerball number was 10.
Across Australia, there were two division one winning entries in Powerball draw 1446 – one in New South Wales and one in Queensland.
