Australia’s newest multimillionaire has credited a recently deceased family member and a dose of FOMO for her mammoth $100 million Powerball win.
The NSW woman was the only winner of Thursday night’s jackpot draw, which, according to lottery officials, makes her the equal-biggest lottery winner in Australian history.
The Ballina woman will be celebrating with champagne iStock
“What the f—. I’m still in shock. No, this can’t be happening,” she screamed when told the news, according to quotes released by The Lott.
“No, c’mon. This is bullshit. Bloody hell. Is this my cousin pranking me? My cousin is pranking me.
“I can’t believe this. Oh my God. I am sitting here with my entire family. I love that I’m around them right now sharing this moment with them.”
The Ballina woman said all her family members bought a ticket in Thursday’s draw and she only bought her entry not long before the draw closed due to “a bit of FOMO”.
“We recently had a death in the family, and I think it’s a sign from them; they’re so looking after me,” the woman said.
“We’ve had signs all day from them; things moving, cans moving, bags waving in the wind.”
The woman said the win would pay off the mortgage and help “lots of family members”, not just herself.
But first she’ll be treating herself to champagne and a breakfast treat.
“Now we have to see how we’re going to get the Moët delivered,” she said, according to The Lott.
“I’ll be celebrating with breakfast in bed tomorrow – scrambled eggs and bacon for me.”
The winning numbers from Thursday night’s draw were 14, 24, 15, 3, 27, 32 and 30, with a Powerball of 16.
Lottery officials said it was the biggest jackpot this year and the sixth-largest of all time, following five draws without a winner.
The Lott spokesperson Khat McIntyre said as many as half of all Australian adults were expected to have entered the draw.