Victorian woman who missed the call from lottery officials to confirm her $40 million jackpot win as she was at work and unable to answer her phone. But now, the multi-millionaire won't have to worry about work anymore, as she has quit her job and will be available to answer her phone at all times.
An Echuca woman was left stunned and numb after winning the division one Powerball jackpot of $40 million in Thursday's Powerball draw 1394. She was the only winner nationally and took home the entire prize money.
The night of the draw saw lottery officials unable to make contact with the winner to share the stunning news as repeated calls went to voicemail.
“Oh my god! Oh my god! I can’t believe it. I thought it was a scam!” she exclaimed.
“This just doesn’t feel real. How do I know if this is real?!
“I’m so nervous, I feel really bizarre. My whole body has gone numb!
“My husband and I couldn’t sleep at all last night. We were pacing back and forth.
“I’m at work right now, and that’s why it took a little longer for me to answer my phone.
“This is really going to take some time to sink in. It won’t feel real until the money is in my bank account.
“My husband and I have these goals in place and were wondering how we were going to achieve them, but now we don’t have to worry anymore!
“I can’t believe this is happening!”
The Victorian might be spending her last days at work after announcing the windfall will allow her to quit her job and spend more time with her family.
“My god, I can quit my job!” she joyfully yelled.
“I can take some time off to spend with my family.
“We will be able to pay off the mortgage completely and set ourselves up for the future.
“We want this win to go a long way. We want to leave a legacy for our family for years to come!
“This means everything to me. Thank you so much.”
The winning numbers in Powerball draw 1394 on Thursday, 2 February 2023 were 7, 35, 31, 2, 24, 21 and 15. The all-important Powerball number was 18.
Across Australia, there was one division one winning entry in Powerball draw 1394 – the winning entry in Victoria.
The Lott’s division one winning tally has now reached 247 so far this financial year, including 95 won by Tatts customers.
In 2022, 22 Powerball division one winning entries across Australia pocketed more than $764.39 million in prize money.
During this time, Powerball offered a $160 million jackpot – the biggest prize ever offered by any Australian lottery game – that was won by three division one winning entries.
Of the 22 Powerball division one winning entries in 2022, 13 landed in New South Wales, four in Victoria, two each in Queensland and Western Australia, and one in South Australia.
Last financial year, Australia’s official lotteries contributed more than $1.6 billion via state lottery taxes and donations to help community initiatives, such as hospitals, health research, disaster relief and, education.
