Powerball's $120 million draw: Everything you need to know to increase your chance of winning
Ahead of this Thursday’s massive $120 million Powerball draw, lottery officials have compiled a list of everything Aussie players need to know to increase their chances of nabbing the life-changing prize.
With up to half of all Aussie adults expected to have an entry in Powerball draw 1345 on Thursday, February 24, officials from The Lott have revealed some winning secrets of previous winners.
The Lott spokesperson Matt Hart said that if one lucky player takes home the jackpot, they will be making Australian history.
“If there’s just one Powerball division one winner this week, they will instantly become Australia’s biggest lottery winner ever,” he said.
The current title holder for Australia’s biggest lottery winner is a Sydney nurse who took home a mammoth $107 million in 2019.
“This Powerball prize has captivated the nation, and I’m sure many Aussies are happily contemplating how it could transform their lives.
Powerball entry types that won the most division one prizes in 2021
Although many lottery players like to play their lucky numbers, it seems QuickPick entries won the most division one prizes in last year’s Powerball.
Ten of the 14 Powerball division one winning entries in 2021 were QuickPick entries, where the lottery terminal randomly generated the numbers on the ticket, while the remaining four winning entries were hand-picked by the winner.
Additionally, half of last year’s Powerball division one wins were scored by a PowerHit entry, which is a ticket type unique to Powerball that guarantees the all-important Powerball number needed to win division one.
It wasn’t just individual players who reaped the benefits in 2021, with two of the division one winning entries going to syndicates, or group entries.
One of the lucky groups was a Townsville syndicate, who scored a $60 million Powerball prize in July, while the other was a 55-strong group from Western Australia that shared an $80 million jackpot in December.
Powerball's 'hot' and 'cold' numbers revealed
To win Powerball’s division one prize, players will need to have all seven winning numbers, which are drawn from the main barrel of 35 numbers, plus the Powerball (drawn from the Powerball barrel of 20 numbers) in a single game.
From the main barrel, the most frequently drawn, or "hot," winning numbers are 17, 7, 9, 11 and 25.
While the least frequently drawn, or "cold," winning numbers are 6, 31, 15 and 33.
For the separate Powerball barrel, the most frequently drawn Powerball number is 19, while the least frequently drawn Powerball number is 18.
Australia’s 2021 Powerball and lottery-winning hot spots
When it came to where the most winning Powerball tickets landed In 2021, New South Wales took home the crown, scoring half of the 14 division one wins in the country.
Queenslanders came in second place, pocketing four division one wins, followed by two in Victoria and one in Western Australia.
Meanwhile, The Lott unveiled some of the lottery hotspots, or the suburbs in each state and territory that sold the most winning entries in 2021.
In Victoria, the postcode 3004 for Melbourne, 3028 for Altona Meadows, 3429 for Sunbury, and 3199 for Frankston each sold three division one winning entries.
In NSW and the ACT, the postcode of 2444 for Port Macquarie sold four division one winning entries, while 2127 for Wentworth Point/Sydney Olympic Park and 2750 for Penrith/South Penrith each sold three.
In Queensland, the postcode 4817 for Kirwan/Thuringowa sold four division one winning entries, while the postcodes of 4680 for Gladstone and 4740 for Mackay both sold three.
In South Australia, the postcode 5000 for Adelaide, 5009 for Kilkenny and 5253 for Murray Bridge each sold two, while in Tasmania the postcode 7310 for Devonport and 7320 for Burnie each sold two division one winning entries.
In Western Australia, the postcodes of 6330 for Albany and 6163 for Spearwood sold three division one winning entries.
Regardless of where you’re located, or which entry type you choose, you can’t win the $120 million Powerball without a ticket, so Mr Hart is urging Aussies to get their hands on a ticket soon.
“We’re expecting it to get busier and busier in-store and online as we inch closer to the draw’s close on Thursday evening. For anyone wanting the chance to win this incredible jackpot, they’ll need to have a ticket in their hands by 7.30pm AEST on Thursday,” said Mr Hart.
Entries into the draw close at 7.30pm AEST, with the draw conducted about an hour later.
If gambling is a problem for you go to Gambling Help Online or call 1800 858 858.
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.
