An Altona man had the fright of his life this evening, eventually answering a call from us to inform him he's now $80 million richer.
The Victorian retiree held the only division one winning entry nationally in Powerball draw 1552, drawn Thursday 12 February 2026.
Not only does the victorious Victorian take home the entire $80 million jackpot, but he also shares the title of state's biggest lottery winner ever.
When we first tried to contact the winner straight after the draw, the calls went straight to voicemail… except his phone's message bank was full and wouldn't take any more.
After continued attempts, the winner finally answered the phone. While initially skeptical of his good fortune, when he checked his ticket himself online, he was left stunned by the enormity of his good fortune.
"Oh my god! Are you joking?!" he cried.
"I can't believe it! Oh my god! I can't stop crying!
"If you've got good news for me then it couldn't have come at a better time.
"My family has been through a rough trot lately and this is just the best news.
"I was in the study, and my phone was in the bedroom. I then came back to my phone and saw I had so many missed calls!
"You have no idea how much this means to me.
"I've never won anything in my life, let alone $80 million!"
When asked how he planned to enjoy his multi-million-dollar win, the humble man shared his plans to getaway and enjoy some 'peace and quiet'.
"I haven't been to Italy since I've been 10 years old, and I have wanted to go back ever since.
"You have changed my life."
His winning 50-game QuickPick entry was purchased on The Lott website - the official home of Australia's lotteries.
In addition to the sole division one winner in tonight's Powerball draw, there were 2,133,319 winners in division two to nine who won more than $50.04 million. This includes 13 division two winners who each pocked $106,768.70.
The winning numbers in Powerball draw 1552 on Thursday 12 February 2026 were 20, 30, 21,18, 11, 14 and 12. The all-important Powerball number was 7.
