The jackpot in Powerball starts at $4 million and rolls over to subsequent draws if it is not won. The top prize is not capped, and as a result the game has created some of the biggest lottery winners in Australia. The Powerball jackpot has reached $100 million on more than one occasion, helping to set new records for Australian lottery prizes. Find out more about the biggest Powerball winners below.
After just five draws without a jackpot win, three lucky tickets matched all the numbers to claim a share of a record $160 million. A man from Clyde in Victoria was the first to find out he had won $53 million, having purchased his ticket online. He was in a state of shock when contacted by lottery officials and described it as ‘absolutely mind-blowing’. A father from Penrith in New South Wales was similarly surprised when he discovered he was a winner the next day, saying he had almost missed out on getting a ticket and had to rush out just before tickets closed.
The final winning ticket belonged to a player from the Goldfields region of Western Australia, who shared it with a group of 20 mates. Most of them worked for a mining company in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, leaving their boss to plead with them not to give up their jobs. He joked: “I told them I will run after them and steal their ticket if they don’t come back.”
A run of eight rollovers created a new record ahead of the draw on 19 September, as the jackpot rocketed from $100 million the previous week to a sensational $150 million. With around one in two Australian adults taking part in the draw, the high demand for ticket sales resulted in three players sharing the top prize.
One of the winning entries belonged to a man from Sydney in New South Wales, who had played online. He revealed that he only decided to buy a ticket ‘because everyone else was’. The other two winners came from Queensland. One, from Brisbane, purchased his entry from Mater News Central on Stanley Street and said he spent the whole night awake after the draw. He said he would spend the money on building a new home and travelling the world. The remaining $50 million went to a ticket holder from Ipswich.
The jackpot was split two ways, as one ticket from New South Wales and another from Western Australia matched all the numbers. The New South Wales winner was an unregistered player so could not be tracked down straight away, but he quickly came forward to claim it. He had bought his ticket from a newsagents in Coffs Harbour and said he would use the money to look after his family, and buy a red sports car!
The other $63 million went to a retail syndicate from Kalgoorlie, consisting of around 200 players. One of the first to claim their share was a school worker and mum, who had been living pay-check to pay-check. She said her neighbour was also a winner so the first thing she would do was fill up their car so they could get to Perth to cash in their ticket.
This was the highest Powerball jackpot ever offered at the time the draw took place, and there were three ticket holders who matched all the winning numbers. One of the winners came from New South Wales, one from South Australia and one from Victoria, with each player taking home more than $36 million.
The first winner to be given the good news by lottery officials was a man from Adelaide, who intended to use the money to take his extended family around the world and thought he might quit his job. The second winner, a mother from Sydney, had no plans to give up her work in medical research, insisting she would use the money ‘in a meaningful way’. The final winning ticket belonged to a couple from Victoria, who said they felt as though they had already won the lottery with their family.
A mother from Sydney wrote her name into the Powerball record books when she matched all the numbers in a draw that captured the imagination of the whole country, with one in two Australian adults thought to have taken part. The estimated jackpot of $100 million was bumped up to over $107 million, such was the demand for tickets, and the increased number of entries meant there was a lengthy delay until the results were announced and the lucky winner was told the incredible news.
The woman, in her 40s, had purchased a 12-game entry online after making a spur-of-the-moment decision to play the day before the draw. She initially thought she had won $107,000, which she described as ‘amazing’, before insisting that she would put the money to good use. She planned to share it with her family, give her favourite charity a ‘whole slab of money’ and do all the things she had always wanted, such as travelling and buying a caravan. The winner, who decided to stay anonymous, added that she would not be retiring from her job as a healthcare professional.
The big jackpot was split two ways between a woman from the City of Melton and a New South Wales syndicate made up of 10 members.
The Victorian mum purchased her ticket online and couldn’t believe it when it was confirmed she’s a winner. ‘’I’ve won $50 million? Oh, my goodness! I can’t believe this. What a dream come true,’’ she yelled. The woman didn’t immediately claim her prize as some of her contact details were incorrect. When asked what she would do with the money, she said she would give up her job and she would use the prize to look after her kids. ‘’My kids mean the world to me, and I’ll be able to set them up for the future.’’
The other winning ticket was purchased at Rosebery North Newsagency, 68 Dalmeny Avenue, Rosebery and each syndicate member will take home $5,077,673.41. When The Lott called one of them to tell the good news, he was left in shock. ‘’I’m watching football as we speak, and I had no idea who was calling. I can’t wait to call my mum and tell her the news – she won’t believe me.’’ Another member from Sydney was also surprised to find he is one of the winners: ‘’This is unbelievable. It’s unbelievable! My wife is crying.’’The shock of winning the jackpot left the Bankstown man laughing hysterically and slapping his face. Buying the lucky entry brought the New South Welshman $100 million and made him the second-biggest lottery winner. The only other Australian lottery player who won more than him was the Sydney nurse, scoring more than $107 million in January 2019.
Initially, the winner didn’t pick up the call from lottery officials but eventually answered to receive the good news. Without any extravagant plans for the future, the man said he’ll continue to work but is excited about buying a new house. His wife, on the other hand, has other plans. She said: “Working?! We’re multi-millionaires now!”
A post-Christmas treat was put on offer in this draw, with the Division 1 prize doubling from $50 million a week earlier. Three lucky tickets matched all the numbers – earning each player a $33.3 million share. Two of the winners were revealed to be from New South Wales, while the other was from Queensland.
One of the winners, a dad from Sydney, said he played Powerball very rarely but had been persuaded by his wife to play. Another NSW man, from Canterbury, revealed that he and his wife would now be able to ‘wind down their working lives and give their kids the best future possible’. The Queensland winner was a woman from Durack, who said she screamed so much when she found out that her kids thought there was a cockroach in the kitchen.
Lottery fever gripped Australia in August 2018 as the Powerball jackpot climbed to $100 million for the first time. Long queues formed outside newsagencies around the country as players flocked to buy last-minute tickets. In the end, the record-equalling jackpot was split between two tickets, with each taking home an impressive $50 million. There was a wait to find out about the winners, however, after lottery websites crashed due to the inundation of players trying to check their numbers. It was estimated that one in three people in Australia took part in the draw.
It was eventually revealed that one of the tickets was bought in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of southwest Sydney, and the other was purchased through a lottery app by a man from Melbourne. Speaking to lottery officials after the win, the Melbourne winner, who remained anonymous, said: “I’m going to do the right thing. This win is life-changing. I’m going to look after my whole family – invest money in property and shares. It will make a massive difference to a lot of people.” The winner from Sydney claimed his prize two days after the draw, saying: “Oh yeah mate, I’m in a bit of shock to be honest! It's just been in my wallet the whole time. I’m guarding this ticket with my life.”
A middle-aged father from North Melbourne revelled in his remarkable change of fortunes after winning $80 million. He had recently lost his job in one of the city’s coronavirus lockdowns after buying a house shortly before that, so he admitted time had been extremely tough.
But the ticket he purchased online proved to be a perfect match for the winning numbers on 12 August and he vowed to use the money to set his children up for life. He said: “I am going to try and help everyone. There’s so much we will be able to do with this prize. It will change so many people’s lives.”
