Syndicates from Western Australia had previously picked up four first division prizes, each worth AU$30 million, but organisers Lotterywest confirmed that the latest winning ticket had not been bought by a group. The money has now been claimed by a family from southern Perth, who wish to remain anonymous but have been happy to share their remarkable success story.
One of the winners admitted she started ‘seriously shaking’ as she checked the numbers and realised the magnitude of what had happened. She added: “I thought I must have been seeing things. We’re just a hard battling family and we don’t want this win to change us. This never happens to people like us!” The family plan to spend some of their windfall on home renovations and will also make some charitable donations.
The family’s success has also been welcomed by the local community, including newsagent Philip Lu. It was his business in Armadale which sold the winning ticket and he expects to see a ‘surge’ of lottery fans coming in to play Powerball and Lotto. Lu said: “My wife was full of emotion that morning and tears started to run from her eyes. It’s wonderful because you see, as the saying goes, it’s blessed to receive, it’s divine to give. That’s how I see it.”
A top prize of AU$3 million will be up for grabs in the next Australian Powerball draw on Thursday, while there is AU$21 million on offer in Saturday’s Lotto Superdraw. Players from Perth and beyond will hope to follow in the footsteps of the latest winners and grab a huge amount of cash to transform their lives.
