Why we won't find out who the Sydney mum is who won Powerball
There is a new multi-millionaire in our midst but we will never find out exactly who it is.
The winner of last night’s $100 million Powerball jackpot will never be named, along with many other lucky lottery winners.
The Sydney mum celebrated with a glass of cheap chardonnay and said she would not quit her job as a health professional. The woman, aged in her 40s, plans to give a slab of her riches to charity and buy a caravan.
She took home $107,575,649.08, the largest individual prize ever handed out in Australia.
But that’s all we’ll ever know about her.
The Lott spokesman Matt Hart told Yahoo News they had to honour the winner’s wishes to remain anonymous under a federal privacy act.
Why winners choose to remain anonymous
He said there was a surprising reason why most Australians chose to remain anonymous, and it’s not because they are worried about being robbed.
“People’s main concern is they don’t want to be viewed differently by friends and family,” Mr Hart said.
“It’s quite an Australian thing. We’re down to earth and people don’t want to be seen as flashy.
“Winners choose to keep it quiet and it’s quite humble.”
Mr Hart said many winners did not opt to give their name or address, but were happy to share other details including their age and occupation.
Mr Hart said they spoke to winners about what they were willing to share when informing them of their prize.
“It’s really completely up to them and we are guided by them and what they are comfortable with,” he said.
“We would love more people to name themselves because they have such a unique experience and we all wonder what it’s like to win.
“It’s an amazing time in their lives and it would be lovely to hear more from them and their plans for the money.”
