A Victorian man missed multiple calls before he found out he had won Thursday’s entire $80 million Powerball jackpot.
The Altona retiree held the only division one winning entry nationally in Powerball draw 1552 and now shares the title of the state’s biggest lottery winner ever.
An official from The Lott tried to contact the winner immediately after the draw but the calls went straight to voicemail.
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However, the man’s message bank was full and wouldn’t take any more to inform him of the life changing win.
The official continued calling until he finally answered the phone. The man was initially sceptical of his good fortune, but when he checked the ticket online himself, he was left stunned.
“Oh my god! Are you joking?!” he said.
“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.”
Shock win for Altona man who now pockets $80 million in a Powerball jackpot. Credit: The Lott
The man said he was in the study, and his phone was in the bedroom. He went to check his phone and suddenly saw all the missed calls.
“You have no idea how much this means to me,” he said.
“I’ve never won anything in my life, let alone $80 million!”
When asked how he planned to enjoy his major win, the man said he 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,” he said.
“You have changed my life.”
His winning 50-game QuickPick entry was purchased on The Lott website.
There were also 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 numbers required to unlock a share of the huge division one prize for draw #1552 were: 20, 30, 21, 18, 11, 14 and 12. The Powerball was 7.
The February 12 jackpot was the most lucrative of any Australian lotto game so far in 2026.
The last time Powerball’s division one prize ballooned to this size was September when four players split $80 million.
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