A Wyndham Vale man has become Victoria's newest multimillionaire after winning the entire $50 million Powerball jackpot, despite nearly missing out on learning the good news. The father was sitting on the couch watching Carlton's narrow AFL victory over Richmond when his numbers were drawn in Thursday night's draw 1556.
Officials from The Lott say the man initially dismissed the notification. "I actually saw your first email and I didn't even open it. I assumed it was junk and deleted it," he said. The lottery authority first contacted him using an outdated phone number registered on his account, but the call went unanswered. The breakthrough came when a second email arrived. "Then I received another email, and I thought, maybe I'll check the app," he explained.
When the reality sank in, his reaction was one of shock. "Unbelievable! Fifty million dollars! That's insane!" he said. The winning numbers were 5, 6, 18, 9, 14, 4 and 13, with the Powerball being 14; officials noted this was his favourite footy number.
The father expressed his excitement about sharing the news with his wife. "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," he said.
The man revealed he had changed his usual numbers for a random selection after a recent small win. He said he had long told family and friends that if he ever won $50 million, he would dedicate himself to helping others. "I'd like to look at some kind of work that helps the community," he added.
Beyond his philanthropic aspirations, the win offers his family immediate practical relief. The family has been renting, and home ownership has seemed out of reach. "I can't wait to also go on realestate.com and browse for houses to buy. I never thought we'd be able to buy our very own home after renting for such a long time!" he said.
His spending plans are grounded and considered. Rather than purchasing properties outside his means, the family intends to stay humble. "We're not going to buy anything out of this world. We'll continue to be humble and buy a house in our suburb," he said. "We'll also look to buy each of our children a house of their own. We'll all be mortgage free!"
The Lott reminds players that gambling help and information is available through the National Gambling Helpline on 1800 858 858.