A Latrobe Valley man is celebrating the luckiest last-minute decision of his life after scoring the $20 million Powerball jackpot with a ticket purchased just 35 seconds before the draw closed.
The Victorian held the only division one winning entry nationally in Powerball draw 1578 on Thursday 13 August 2026. He took home the $20 million division one prize.
In addition to winning division one, the man’s PowerHit entry also landed division two 19 times, bolstering his total windfall to $20,485,253.35.
The new multi-millionaire was unaware of his newfound fortune until he received a phone call from us immediately after the draw.
“Oh, happy days!” the man exclaimed when his win was confirmed.
“Wonderful! That’s so cool! So awesome!
“You’re my new best friend!”
Remarkably, the timestamp on his online ticket reads “7:29:25” – meaning he secured the winning entry 35 seconds before the draw’s close at 7.30pm AEST.
“We don’t normally play Powerball, but tonight I saw it was $20 million and thought I’d have a crack at that and have a bit of fun.
“I bought the ticket with about a minute to go. I picked the numbers myself, a mix of one or two family birthdays and then a few random numbers.
“I can’t believe it. My wife is asking me if it’s real. She’s walking around the house and has poured herself a brandy.
“Just wonderful!”
When asked what $20 million might mean for him and his family, the ecstatic man simply said: “Everything!”.
“It’s a life-changing moment. This is the best phone call of my life,” he added.
“Well, I reckon an around-the-world trip is called for and after that some investment strategies to set the family up for the future.”
The man’s marked PowerHit entry was purchased via The Lott app – the official home of Australia’s lotteries.
