A NSW man was one number short of winning a $226 million jackpot, but the lucky lotto player did not walk away empty-handed.
The IT professional came within a whisker of taking home the jackpot in The Lottery Office’s USA Power Lotto at the weekend.
While he missed out on the division one prize, his luck pulled through for division three — scoring more than $92,000.
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The man could not believe his luck, saying it was “really amazing” to win.
He said he plans to use his prize to take his first overseas holiday in 18 months and see his family.
“Oh my God, I can’t believe it,” he said when The Lottery Office official broke the news.
“It couldn’t have come at a better time.”
The division three prize paid about $46,000 but the man had purchased a “multiplier” with his ticket, doubling his win.
The Lottery Office CEO Jaclyn Wood said she was “delighted’’ for the man, who has been a customer since 2021.
With no one winning the jackpot, the USA Power Lotto prize has jumped to $260 million for Thursday’s draw.
Tickets in the next draw are available through The Lottery Office until 10am AEST on Thursday.
“When Australians purchase tickets in our lotteries, we purchase a matching ticket in the overseas draw and when one of our customers win, we pay them the exact amount of the winnings we collect from the overseas lottery ticket,’’ Wood said.
How to play
The USA Power Lotto operates as a local version of the US-based Powerball.
Australians can buy tickets through The Lottery Office, which will then purchase a matching ticket in the US draw.
US Powerball draws take place on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10.59pm US eastern time — which means for Australians the draws are on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 12.59pm AEST.
Each game costs $7, and players pick five numbers from a pool of one to 69, plus another number between one and 26.
Overall, the chances of winning a prize are one in 25 per game, according to The Lottery Office.
The odds of winning the jackpot are much slimmer, at one in 292.2 million, US Powerball says.
What happens if you win
For lucky winners, The Lottery Office will initially collect the prize money on the ticket.
Prizes of less than $A10,000 will be paid to the winner’s Lottery Office account as soon as the results of the draw have been finalised.
The Lottery Office will contact winners of $A10,000 or more to arrange payment of their prize.
If you’re concerned about your gambling or the gambling of a friend or family member, log on to Gambling Help Online or make contact via phone on 1800 858 858.
You can access online counselling as well as services in your state or territory and support for family and friends.