Geelong man $12m richer after winning Powerball all too himself

A Geelong man’s life has taken a dramatic turn right in front of his very eyes as he scooped Thursday night’s top Powerball prize all to himself.

Owners of Lara Lotto Cards and Gifts Meena and Mukesh Misra with staff member Robyn Henry celebrating the sale of a winning $12 million ticket. Picture: Brad Fleet

A Geelong man’s life has taken a dramatic turn right in front of his very eyes as he scooped Thursday night’s top Powerball prize all to himself.

The unidentified man is now $12m richer, but he still decided to turn up to work on Friday.

The Lara resident uncharacteristically tuned into the Thursday draw and couldn’t believe it when his numbers came up.

“I can’t remember the last time I’ve watched a lottery draw on TV, but for some odd reason I decided to watch it,” he said.

“It honestly hasn’t sunk in yet. It’s a lot of money to process.

“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing when my numbers started to come up.”

Despite winning the life-changing sum, the man showed up to work on Friday but conceded his days on the job were “numbered”.

He bought the ticket from the Lara Lotto Cards and Gifts at The Centreway.

Owner Meena Misra said her team were so excited to have sold the division one winning ticket.

“We hope his prize allows him to spread joy and do something nice,” she said.

“The last time we sold a ticket that won a major lottery prize was in March this year when our group syndicate took out $2.5 million in a Tattslotto Superdraw.”

Drysdale woman’s ‘emotional’ $100k win

Family were front of mind for a Drysdale woman when she discovered she’d won a lottery prize of $100,000 on the scratchies.

The woman picked up an Instant Scratch-It ticket from Drysdale Newsagency and was “over the moon” to discover she’d secured the top prize.

Speaking with an official from the Lott after claiming her prize, the woman, whose name was not revealed, said she “couldn’t be happier or more grateful” and was excited to help her nearest and dearest following the win.

“This is an emotional win – it’s not only going to help me so much, but will also allow me to support my family,” she said.

Drysdale Newsagent owner Sashi Sunnam and staff member Leanne O’Dowd celebrating a $100,000 Scratch and Win. Picture: Brad Fleet

“This is a moment of pure joy … I’m going to get the whole family together and have a very nice dinner to celebrate.”

Drysdale Newsagency owner Ravi Kota shared he was absolutely thrilled when he heard his store had sold the winning Gold Frenzy Bingo X2 ticket.

“I’m so happy to hear that one of our loyal customers has had their life positively changed from a ticket they purchased here,” he said.

“We will be celebrating this win in-store with lots of balloons and a congratulatory banner.

“We wish them all the best and hope this prize brings much happiness and prosperity.”

Instant Scratch-It winners collectively took home over $12m in top prizes last year, while wins across all tiers totalled just under $250m.

This equates to more than half a million winners a week and about $700,000 won on Instant Scratch-Its every day.

Australia’s official lotteries contributed more than $1.6bn via state lottery taxes and donations last financial year.

Originally published as Geelong man $12m richer after winning Powerball all too himself