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Powerball fail: Wrong number published in $50 million draw

A tiny mistake posted on the official Powerball results could have sparked a drastically different outcome for hopeful Aussies vying for the $50 million top prize last week.

In draw 1384 on November 24, a NSW resident from the Mid North Coast was the only player to hold a winning ticket, instantly making them a multi-millionaire just weeks before Christmas.

But it’s now been revealed that when the winning numbers were initially posted to the Powerball app and website, one of the digits was wrong.

The real winning combination was 14, 6, 9, 25, 27, 31 and 33, with Powerball number 15.

When it was originally uploaded however, the number 16 was published as the first number, instead of the correct number of 14.

Screenshots show the wrong number uploaded to the Powerball website.
The number 16 was originally published instead of the 14, but The Lott officials say it was an error that was only up for two minutes. Source: 3AW

If anyone held the incorrect set of numbers, they would’ve been in for a rude shock, with the supposed $50m Division 1 win instead becoming a Division 3 winner – where you hold six correct digits and the right Powerball number.

Division 3 winners in draw 1384 took home $5167.60 each.

A caller revealed the blunder to 3AW radio, telling breakfast hosts Ross and Russel how she spotted it.

“The lotto last night, Powerball numbers were given on The Lott app and 16 minutes later when I updated to see how many winners there was, there was one winner but one of the numbers had actually changed from 16 to 14,” the anonymous woman said.

The Lott officials confirm error

The Lott confirmed to Yahoo News Australia an error had been made and said it was fixed after about two minutes.

"On 24 November 2022, one of the winning numbers drawn in Powerball draw 1384 was incorrectly displayed on our website and app for a period of about two minutes after about 8.10pm (Qld time)," a spokesperson said.

"It’s important to note, the conduct of Powerball draw 1384, the scan of the entries into the draw, the identification of the winning entries, the declaration of dividends and the payment of prizes were unaffected by this display issue."

Tulls Newsagency in Forster where a winning Powerball ticket was sold.
The winning Powerball ticket was sold in the NSW town of Forster. Source: The Lott/Google Maps

NSW winner found after four-day search

The sole winner of the jackpot finally came forward four days after the draw, following many unanswered calls from lottery officials.

"The winning player confessed they were still struggling to come to terms with their newfound fortune,” The Lott said. However the winner has decided to forgo the customary post-win interview, instead deciding to remain "completely anonymous".

The winning entry was purchased at Tull’s Newsagency in Forster.

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