Aussie’s reaction to USA Mega Lotto win

A Victorian man has won almost $1 million in a massive US lotto, but missed out on an eye-watering jackpot by just one number.

A Victorian man has won almost $1 million in a massive US lotto, but missed out on an eye-watering jackpot by just one number.

The 28-year-old picked up a Division 2 prize of $950,000 in the USA Mega Lotto on Saturday after correctly picking out five of the six numbers drawn.

The man was sleeping after a nightshift when The Lottery Office first called to tell him of his win and he woke to news of the “life-changing” windfall.

“I’m still in shock,” he said. “It’s a bit surreal at the moment.”

The man said he had recently had to drain his savings after spending a year out of work during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The man was one number off a Division 1 windfall, but still won a life-changing amount.

“I've just been discussing my options, whether I could buy a house or an investment property,” he said.

“This literally changes my life.”

He correctly chose all five numbers in the main draw – 3, 29, 34, 37, and 38. But he was one number off in the Mega Number, choosing 16 instead of the winning number of 17, missing out on the $789 million Division 1 jackpot.

The jackpot this week has leapt to $830 million, with Aussies able to get in on the huge prize to be drawn Saturday. The USA Mega Lotto is directly matched to the US Mega Millions, with tickets available through The Lottery Office until noon AEDT on Wednesday.

The USA Mega Lotto is matched to the US Mega Millions. Picture: Angela Weiss / AFP

The Lottery Office chief executive Jaclyn Wood, said it offered access to jackpots that dwarfed those offered by other Australian lotteries.

In September, a NSW man took home $92,000 after coming within one number of winning the $226 million USA Power Lotto.

The USA Mega Lotto has already exceeded $1 billion twice this year, while the biggest prize that has gone up for grabs in an Australian lottery was the $200 million Powerball jackpot in January.