'I can't stop smiling': Adelaide man $150 million richer after winning historic Powerball

The man who won Thursday's $150 million Powerball jackpot said he struggled to wrap his head around how large the prize was.

A Powerball ticket in someone's hand

This week's Powerball jackpot was $150 million. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas

An Adelaide man has claimed a $150 million Powerball jackpot, becoming Australia's biggest individual lottery winner.

The middle-aged man contacted lottery officials on Friday morning, saying he hadn't slept all night because he "kept checking the ticket".

"I've never screamed so loud or jumped so high!" he told Powerball operator The Lott.

"This is life-changing. I can't stop smiling and pinching myself."
The ticket was not registered to a card or online account, so the winner's identity was a mystery until the man came forward.

, despite his new fortune.

"I know it may sound crazy but I'm going to continue working."

"I'll buy a house, want to travel the world and I've got a family and friends I want to help, but for now I can't wrap my head around how big this prize is.

"I can't believe my luck!"
The jackpot had risen to $150 million on Thursday night after no entries scored the division one prize in the previous $100 million draw, prompting the lottery's top prize to roll higher for the sixth consecutive week.

The $150 million was the third-largest lottery prize in Australian history, behind a $200 million Powerball win shared between two people in February and a $160 million jackpot in 2022 that was carved up between three ticket holders.

The odds of a single entry winning the division-one prize are more than 134 million to one — about the same as being struck by lightning twice in a lifetime.

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Published 24 May 2024 7:12am
Updated 24 May 2024 12:46pm
Source: AAP, SBS



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