A lucky mum from Aspley absentmindedly left her Division 1 ticket in her car’s glovebox, then remembered to check on it after her morning run a couple of days later, and made a life-changing, $100-million discovery!
The massive prize, drawn on Thursday night, 22 August 2024, had eluded officials as the ticket was unregistered, preventing them from identifying the winner.
The search for the lucky individual became increasingly urgent as the jackpot was the only division one winning entry in the draw. The winning numbers, drawn at 9:00 p.m., were 16, 24, 11, 4, 10, 18, 23
A Life-Changing Discovery
The winner, who purchased the ticket at a local Westfield, remained unaware of her newfound wealth until Friday morning. After returning from her morning run, she finally checked the ticket that had been sitting in her car’s glovebox.
“I was shopping the other day, and it’s coming up to my birthday, so I thought ‘why not?’ and purchased a Powerball ticket.
“The funny thing is too, I almost lost it. I had to pull over on the way home from the shops because I thought I had left it there.
“After that, I put it in my glovebox, and I completely forgot about it until this morning.
“I’m scared to breathe in case this isn’t real. We’re in complete shock.”
The woman promptly contacted officials to confirm her win, becoming the third-biggest lottery winner in Australian history.
While the identity of the Aspley mum remains private, the impact on the local area is already being felt, with businesses and residents buzzing with the news.
The Uncertainty of the Unregistered Ticket
Spokeswoman Anna Hobdell noted the anticipation surrounding the draw, especially since the jackpot is the biggest prize any Australian lottery game has offered in nearly three months. Ms Hobdell also highlighted the importance of registering tickets to ensure winners can be notified immediately after a draw.
The unregistered winner’s ticket added to the suspense, as officials were unable to contact the winner directly. This situation has prompted officials to encourage all players to register their tickets in the future to avoid any delay in receiving life-changing news.
Luckiest Store in Australia
The ticket was sold at Nextra Chermside Newsagency at Westfield Chermside. Shannon Hickey, who owns the Nextra Chermside Newsagency, expressed his amazement at having another major division one prize claimed through his store, describing the situation as “crazy.”
“It’s so exciting! We’ve had so many division one wins over the years. We counted up the other day and realised we’d sold division one winning tickets worth more than $64 million. Now we’ve sold over $164 million!” Mr Hickey said.
“Funnily enough, about a decade ago, we sold a $40 million Oz Lotto prize and at the time, that was the third biggest win in Australia. Now, this $100 million Powerball prize is the third-biggest win in Australia and the biggest in Queensland.
“It’s just fantastic and means we are the luckiest store in Australia!
“Congratulations to our winners. We wish them all the very best with their prize.”
Published 23-Aug-2024
