‘Doesn’t make you happier’: Sydney man reveals life after $30m lotto win

A Sydney tradie who won a whopping $30 million lottery prize has revealed how the windfall completely changed his life, but not in a good way.

A Sydney man who won a whopping $30 million lottery prize almost exactly a year ago has revealed how the windfall completely changed his life, but not entirely in a good way.

The ex-tradie aged in his 30s told news.com.au: “What my motto has become, I guess winning the lotto doesn’t make you any happier, it just makes life easier.

“If you’re not happy, and you want to win the lottery (to change that) you’re going to be terribly mistaken.”

The man spoke to news.com.au on the condition of anonymity after some “weird” experiences when telling friends and family about his new millionaire status.

“People have come out of the woodwork,” he explained.

“A lot of people find out through the grape vine, they never actually ask you. I had someone that I haven’t even seen since I was school in, probably 15 years ago.”

One very close friendship soured because “they didn’t take it well” when he told them he was now a multi-millionaire.

Moment life changed

The man still remembers the “surreal” moment he discovered he’d won the Powerball while he was staying in a shoddy motel in regional NSW after doing a 14-hour day on a work site.

The Sydney man won the prize in the last 12 months.

The man was in a township several hours north of Sydney and had endured a “sh*tty” week of 14-hour shifts, starting at 6am and finishing up around 9.30pm mostly.

After grabbing a few beers at the local pub, he went back to his motel room where he made a simple choice that would turn out to make all the difference.

“I could either charge my phone or watch the TV because there was only one power point in the room,” he said.

After watching the telly for 10 minutes, he grew bored and plugged in his phone instead.

As it was a Thursday, he remembered he had entered that week’s Powerball prize and decided to check out the winning numbers.

“Bang,” he said. “I saw it there, it was just there. I was sitting on my phone, alone, a few beers in, thinking ‘what’s going on’.

“It’s 30 f*cking million dollars.”

There’s a $60 million Powerball happening this Thursday.

What he did straight after winning

After logging in and out of the app and double checking on a new internet browser, he realised he had won the only division one prize of the draw.

Then he rang his mum to share the news.

He wanted to head home immediately but since he’d had a fair bit to drink, he seriously toyed with getting a taxi for the four-hour drive and leaving his van behind now that he was cashed up.

In the end he waited till 3.30am then drove home, making him a no-show at the worksite the next day.

He bought two houses and a car with the money.

Life after $30 million

The man no longer works as a tradie and enjoys not having to get up at 4am some mornings.

Instead, he works part-time in the entertainment industry, a maximum of 25 hours a week to “pass the time”.

He bought a house for himself as well as a holiday home and also a boat.

Instead of buying a brand-new car, he got a second hand car.

“I still like to go out and have a drink with friends, no point blowing big money on an expensive car,” the down-to-earth guy said.

Only his parents, immediate family members and some close friends know that he become a multi-millionaire in the space of one night.

“To be honest it’s one of those things where it leaks out. People never know the full amount,” he said.

He plans to travel to the US next year once borders have opened fully.

Originally published as ‘Doesn’t make you happier’: Sydney man reveals life after $30m lotto win