An estimated half of all Australian adults have flocked to newsagents across the country to grab a Lotto ticket ahead of tonight’s $100 million Powerball draw.
While a few extremely lucky people could get their share of the huge prize, the only group of people who have already won are the newsagent owners who have watched queues squirm outside their shops all day long.
Baljinder Singh, who runs the Nextra newsagent Westfield Plaza, Parramatta, set a lunchtime record after his cash register topped $24,000.
But he still had a long way to go to beat his high from last year, when a man spent $43,000 in Lotto tickets in one go.
Mum of four Pat (pictured) said she would spend the money on caring for her ailing husband who suffered a heart attack last month
Baljinder Singh (pictured, right), who runs Nextra newsagent Westfield Plaza, Parramatta along with his wife Indu (left) and son Parul (center), said he made $24,000 from Lotto sales by lunchtime on Thursday
There were long winding queues outside newsagents as an estimated half of all Australian adults bought a ticket for a chance to win the $100 million draw
“It was the $90 million draw and when he showed us the money we could have passed out,” Mr Singh said.
“He won $24,000 and came back the next day. De Lott called us because he thought something strange was going on, but he had the money and it was legit. The next day he came back and spent another $33,000.”
Mr. Singh, who runs the busy shop along with his wife Indu and son Parul, got lucky and also bought a ticket.
“I’m greedy too, like everyone else,” he admitted. “If I sell to everyone, I should buy one, right?”
But charity wins over greed for Mr. Singh and if he won, he would give much back to his countrymen.
“I’m a community-conscious person,” he said.
Prosper (pictured) said he would give to charity if he won and also buy a house
Raj (pictured) split his winnings in the middle between charity and himself
‘I would like to travel around Australia, but I would also give money back to the community. This country is beautiful. They call us the land down under, but we’re just one step from heaven. So if I win, I’m helping fellow Australians.”
Mr Singh’s son, Parul, said he would reinvest in the family business – and book a sneaky trip abroad if his own figures came out.
“I’d buy my dad a few more newsagents so he’s happy and ready, and then maybe I’d go to Hawaii, but Dad doesn’t need to know that,” he joked.
The staff of a nearby newsagent in Granville showed no such humble work ethic in the face of unimaginable wealth.
Pom dreams: Pete, who is originally from England, said he would immediately buy back his childhood home and book a one-way ticket to the green and pleasant country for him and his family
‘All staff buy a ticket here; we have a syndicate,’ someone said.
“And we’d quit the job, that’s the first thing we’d do.”
They may be lucky, because their own newsagent sold a first division winner four months ago. The amount has not been disclosed, but it could be in the millions.
Granville has also sold a total of four First Division winners – the highest for any territory in all of NSW.
Meanwhile, gamblers lined up outside newsagents all morning for their chance to become millionaires overnight.
Pat, a mother of four who is originally from Thailand but has lived in Australia for almost 35 years, said she was desperate to hit the jackpot after her husband suffered a heart attack last month.
‘I need luck. My husband would love to have a five-star nursing home, but I don’t want him to go to a nursing home,” she said.
“I want him to come back home, but he needs 24-hour care and we can’t afford that. If I had $100 million I would scream everything, and the care is the first thing we need.”
Pete, who is originally from the UK, said he would buy a one-way ticket home.
Tonight marks only the sixth time Powerball has offered a $100 million prize in the game’s 27-year history
‘I would take the family to England. I would also buy my old house in which I was born in England. I just want it back,” he said, a wistful tone in his voice.
For Pete, the idea of winning is not an unimaginable dream: a friend from England raked in a cool £23 million ($43 million) 30 years ago.
“He bought a huge piece of land, tons of bikes and cars, but he just kept working with the rest of it,” said Pete.
Elsewhere, Raj has been playing the Lotto since last year, when he moved to Australia from India.
“I would give 50 percent to charity and 50 percent for myself,” he said.
‘I’m not desperate for money, I work hard and I only earn. The main thing is hard work. Work hard and you will win.’
Prosper said he would also give to charity, but take care of number one.
‘Buying real estate is number one. I also have to take care of myself, but I would be a millionaire for the rest of my life, so I would also give something back to charity,” he said.
Lott spokeswoman Anna Hobdell said half of all Australian adults were expected to queue at lottery outlets.
“We haven’t seen a $100 million Powerball draw since December 2022 and then it was split among three players who each received a life-changing $33.3 million just before the new year,” she said.
“On that occasion, the peak of sales was at 5:38 p.m. on the day of the drawing, when Aussies collected more than 5,500 tickets in one minute.”
It is only the sixth time that Powerball has offered a $100 million prize in the game’s 27-year history.
Tickets for Powerball Draw 1414 on Thursday, June 22, 2023 can be purchased from any licensed lottery, online at thelott.com, or through The Lott mobile app.
In 2022, 22 Powerball Division 1 winning entries across Australia won over $764.39 million in prize money.
During this time, Powerball offered a $160 million jackpot – the largest prize ever offered by an Australian lottery game – which was won by three first division winners.
Of the 22 Powerball division one winning entries in 2022, 13 landed in New South Wales, four in Victoria, two each in Queensland and Western Australia, and one each in South Australia.