Australia's Powerball heading for 27-year first: 'Winning streak'
More than half of Australia's adults are set to take part in what could be a record-breaking draw.
Australia's Powerball is now looking to hand someone a nine-digit jackpot after it rolled over to a staggering $100 million on Thursday.
If a single ticket manages to match all numbers next week, it will be the first time the game has handed out $100 million to a ticket holder twice in a single year.
While the jackpot has exceeded the landmark figure more than once in a single year previously, some of those jackpots have been shared by several Division one winners.
The Lott spokesperson Matt Hart said all eyes would be on next week’s Powerball draw to see if the game could create back-to-back $100 million winners.
“It was only last month that Powerball crowned the nation’s second-biggest individual lottery winner – a Bankstown dad who got the shock of his life when we called to reveal he’d scored $100 million,” he said.
It's part of $454 million handed out in Division one prizes to Australians this year in what Mr Hart describes as a "winning streak".
Why are Powerball's jackpots so big in recent years?
The jackpot is only the seventh time in the Powerball's 27-year history the $100 million mark has been reached, officials say.
Powerball: The 'agonising' mistake that cost 15 Aussies $100m jackpot
Powerball reveals 'secrets' of past winners ahead of $100m draw
Yet all have come in the past five years and it's no coincidence the rise in big jackpots has coincided with a rule change that undoubtedly boosts the coffers of the lottery.
In 2018 Yahoo detailed the shift, which saw the addition of an extra ball making it almost twice as hard to scoop the Division One prize.
As the jackpots rose, so did the fanfare, with all eyes on the prize. Previously Mr Hart has predicted such jackpots prompt half of Australia's adults to buy a ticket – a quite staggering amount and one far greater than if the jackpot returned to the low millions.
Mr Hart again predicts half of the country will be in it to win it next Thursday.
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.
