Man's wild $200m Powerball claim about wife on national TV
The Aussie revealed his bold plan if he lands the biggest lottery prize ever offered in Australia.
One popular Aussie is likely to be in the dog house this evening after announcing on national TV he'd leave his wife if he won Powerball's record-breaking $200 million jackpot.
The brave man was stopped on the Gold Coast by Channel 7 reporter Georgia Costi during a vox pop for Sunrise on Thursday before revealing his grand Powerball plan to millions watching at home.
“(If I won, I’d) pack my bags, disappear, tell my missus I’m sick, and I’ll never be home again, and she’ll never know about it,” the man claimed.
The response triggered a shocked reaction from those in the studio, with several gasps heard back in Sydney.
"Watch out if you're that guy's missus," Costi responded. "There might be a few conversations going on in that household today, Lotto win or not," Edwina Bartholomew added.
It turns out the man in question is former AFL player Mark Orval, better known these days as social media personality 'Angry Dad'. He took to his Instagram to explain how he ended up on national TV.
"How ironic I was going for a leisurely stroll at 5.30am planning my getaway after tonight and bang…. I get asked my plan and foolishly gave it away. Sorry Sharon I was clearly joking," he said, followed by a Pinocchio emoji.
Anyone who is serious about ditching married life after a big lottery win may have a difficult time keeping the winnings from their partner. A woman in the US state of California was forced to give $1.3 million of her lottery winnings to her ex-husband after she filed for divorce after 25 years, 11 days after her life-changing windfall. The man went years without realising until he became suspicious after a letter was sent to his house about lottery payments.
Powerball draw biggest ever in history
Officials at The Lott are expecting up to half of Australian adults — that’s about 10 million people — to have bought an entry chasing the life-changing jackpot of $200m. The previous highest lottery jackpot in Australia was $160 million, while the highest prize claimed by one player was $107 million, with a Sydney mum taking home the eye-watering amount in 2019.
If the division one prize is claimed on Thursday, any winner will not receive their winnings for two weeks to allow the recipient to get financial advice on how to handle such a large sum of money.
If gambling is a problem for you, go to Gambling Help Online or call 1800 858 858.
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