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Woman's new tactic wins her $24.3 million Powerball jackpot

As thousands hit stores cross Australia to take advantage of Boxing Day sales, one Queensland lottery winner’s shopping budget has rocketed beyond her wildest dreams.

That’s because the resident, from Samford – northwest of Brisbane, was the sole winner of the division-one Powerball jackpot on Thursday, scooping a cool $24.3 million.

“Oh my God... It is something I’ve only ever dreamed about. It happens to other people, not people like me,” she declared when contacted by Powerball officials on Friday morning.

She had been so busy with Christmas festivities, she had gone to bed without a chance to check her ticket purchased online.

And it appeared her husband was as equally excited.

“I’m going to s*** myself,” he could be heard saying in the background.

The Powerball winner, from Queensland, took home $24.3 million in winnings. Pictured left is a stock image of Powerball ticket and on the right are lottery balls.
The winner said she would look to share the $24.3 million winnings with her children. Source: The Lott

The winner, who wished to remain anonymous, revealed she recently gave up on her usual tactic of selecting specific numbers, instead opting for a QuickPick entry.

The mother said she planned to share the gargantuan sum of money with her children.

“I just can’t figure out what this means right now, but it’s huge. It’s a dream. It just changes everything for us,” she said.

Her husband was a little more adventurous, enquiring if any islands were up for sale.

The numbers drawn in Thursday’s Powerball draw 1232 were 27, 17, 26, 12, 23, 7 and 9, and the Powerball was number 2.

While the win is undoubtedly life changing for the family, it’s a long way off the biggest Powerball win this year.

In September, three winners shared a division-one prize of $150 million – the largest ever in Australian lottery history.

And in January, one woman claimed an eye-watering $108 million division-one prize.

Last year, the Powerball rules were changed, requiring players to match an extra ball from the main draw, which meant jackpots have more chance of going unclaimed for weeks on end.

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