Powerball $100m jackpot: Recurring theme among previous winners revealed ahead of Thursday's draw
Should a single person pocket the entire Powerball jackpot on Thursday, they'd immediately share the title of the country's third-largest lottery winner.
Ahead of Thursday's $100 million Powerball jackpot, in which up to half of adult Australians are expected to hold a ticket, it's been revealed there were 500 division-one winning lottery entries across the country in 2023, scoring a collective $1.52 billion.
The Lott officials on Monday released its 2024 Winners Report and revealed that on average, 19 other people directly benefit from an individual’s division one win. Come Thursday, should a single person pocket the entire jackpot, they would immediately share the title of the country's third-biggest lottery winner ever.
Matt Hart, The Lott spokesperson, said it came as no surprise that most Aussies shared their prize with family and loved ones. Though, he said, about five per cent of lucky winners won't ever tell a soul.
"Once the life-changing news had sunk in, most winners were keen to share the news with their nearest and dearest, including partners, immediate family, and close friends," he said.
"Only five per cent told absolutely no one about their win."
How Powerball winners spent their money
While most people dream of buying new things, like a house or car (or in some cases a new set of boobs) if they were to win division one, for many winners their minds quickly shift to their nearest and dearest — how they can spend more time with them and make their lives more carefree.
"For Aussie winners, a big part of winning big is sharing with others, whether that be with their children, their grandchildren, their parents, their friends, and even strangers in need of a helping hand. You immediately get a sense of who’s important in their lives."
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Hart said over a third of division one winners — 34 per cent — discovered their new-found fortune by receiving a phone call from The Lott, while 35 per cent discovered the news themselves. He said people had a range of responses after realising their lives had changed in an instant.
"I immediately hyperventilated (and) then woke up my brother to check the information on my phone was correct," one winner said. "Disbelief. I cried as I couldn’t believe my luck," said another.
"Gratitude. (Couldn’t wait to) share my luck and cry," a third said.
Entries in the $100 million Powerball draw 1475 close at 7.30pm AEST on Thursday, August 22, 2024.
Australians reminded of the unlikely odds of winning
While The Lott reports up to half of Aussie adults will have a stake in the $100m draw on Thursday, anti-gambling advocates have reminded the public of the enormously slim chances of ever pocketing a major win.
According to The Lott themselves, the chances of winning division one in Powerball, based on one standard game, are a vanishingly small one in 134,490,400.
In fact, ever heard you're more likely to die on your way to go and buy a Powerball ticket than actually winning? Turns out it's true, especially if you're driving there.
We often hear in the news that meteorites fly by earth, sometimes coming a little too close for comfort. If a decently-sized one was to make impact however, it could have catastrophic consequences. As it turns out, the odds of you dying from a local meteorite, asteroid or comet impact are one in 1.6 million, according to the National Geographic — MUCH more likely than a Powerball win.
According to Safe Work Australia, you're even more likely to die at work — by quite a long way too. In 2021, the authority reported that workers aged 65 and over had the highest fatality rate among Aussies, with 4.5 deaths per 100,000 workers.
If gambling is a problem for you, go to Gambling Help Online or call 1800 858 858.
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