Half of Australians enter draw for $150m Powerball

People feeling lucky can throw their hat in the ring for a shot at a staggering $150m in tonight’s Powerball draw. But if you won, how would you claim your prize?

People feeling lucky can throw their hat in the ring for a shot at a staggering $150mn in the Powerball draw.

The second largest sum Australia has ever had up for grabs, the jackpot is set to be drawn on Thursday evening and precedes five weeks of no division one winners.

The Lott has predicted about half of all Australian adults will buy a ticket, leaving newsagencies across the country bustling all week.

The Lott’s Anna Hobdell expects a surge in lottery outlets and online sales in the lead-up to the multimillion-dollar draw.

“It’s undeniable that the idea of winning a slice of the $150 million division one prize will captivate the minds of many Australians this week as anticipation and excitement builds,” Ms Hobdell said.

The line up outside Nextra Mt Pleasant has been constant as people try to get their hands on Powerball tickets.

But, if you’re lucky enough to score the winning numbers, you may have to take responsibility for claiming your winnings rather than relying on The Lott to contact you.

The only way you would be contacted directly is if you were a registered player and your winnings were more than $40m – at which stage you would be phoned and directed through the prize claiming process.

Otherwise, the onus is on you to phone The Lott on 131 868 to begin the process of claiming your cash.

Then, there is a two-week waiting period before the money is transferred into the winner’s account.

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.

Originally published as Half of Australians enter draw for $150m Powerball