Lotto winner thought $40m prize was a prank
A Sydney man has revealed he initially ignored phone calls to tell him he’d become an overnight multi-millionaire after winning big in a Powerball jackpot.
Fearing it could be a prank or a scam, the Fairfield man sceptically answered his phone before finding out he had won the entire $40m jackpot on Thursday’s draw 1452.
“How do I know this is for real?” the NSW man told lottery officials when he finally answered the life-changing call.
When the man realised his big win was legitimate he was rendered “speechless” and told officials he’d need to let the surprise “sink in”.
“We’ll just have to see what happens and let it sink in. To be honest, I’m speechless, I don’t know what to say!”
But the man revealed he wouldn’t just be spending the entirety of the massive prize on himself, generously declaring he will be using some of his millions to help others in need.
“I’ll be able to pay off the house, that’s for sure,” he said.
“There’s plenty of people that need help that I know of. That’s the first thing I’ll be doing.”
The now multi-millionaire said he’d temporarily forgotten he had an entry in the draw, as he had an online subscription that automatically secured him an entry each time the Powerball jackpot exceeded $20m.
The man said he only realised he had an entry when officials rang to tell him the exciting news.
“I’m a regular player. I’ve got a subscription. Out of the blue – I usually don’t really know when it happens – I get a ticket into anything over $20 million,” he said.
“I didn’t even know I had a ticket into tonight’s draw until you called!”
The win comes after two tickets won the $200m Powerball jackpot last month, with each lucky winner taking home $100m each.
The next week, a Queensland woman walked away with $5m after accidentally purchasing a ticket.
