A private syndicate of three friends from Grafton, New South Wales, has won a life-changing sum of $1.7 million in the Saturday Lotto draw after recently forming their lottery group. The fortuitous trio secured one of the three division one prizes on offer in draw 4413 on Saturday November 4, 2023.
The syndicate leader revealed to lotto officials their recent decision to start playing was inspired by hearing other success stories.
"I just thought, ‘if all these other people are winning, why can’t I?’," the winning man laughed.
"Now everyone will start to think it’s easy! We only started our private syndicate about five weeks ago."
The winners' elation is palpable, as they didn't play regularly but chose their games collectively.
“This is incredible, isn’t it? It’s going to make our lives so much easier! This win is life-changing," the syndicate leader said.
Their immediate plans include a holiday and a new car, underscoring the transformative nature of their win.
The lucky ticket was bought at Grafton Mall News, and the store's owner, Allan Worland, expressed joy at their customers' windfall.
“We were so excited when we read the message on the terminal Sunday morning! It's a wonderful feeling to know you've sold a customer a division one prize," Worland said.
Worland plans to celebrate the store's status as a "winning outlet," relishing the end of a dry spell since their last major prize sale.
The winning numbers for the draw 4413 were 14, 5, 34, 15, 42, and 1, with supplementary numbers 45 and 40. Nationwide, the draw produced three division one winners across New South Wales, Queensland, and Victoria.
