A man has revealed in a live TV interview that he will skip town and leave his wife behind if he wins Thursday’s record $200 million Powerball draw.
Mark Orval, a former AFL player, was on his morning walk on the Gold Coast on Thursday morning when he was stopped by a Sunrise reporter who asked him what he would do with the winnings.
“(I would) pack my bags, disappear, tell my wife I’m sick, and I’ll never be home again, and she’ll never know about it,” he said.
The comment left the show’s hosts gasping, with the reporter saying: “Be careful if you’re this man’s wife.”
The jackpot is the largest in Australian history after jumping from last week’s $150 million top prize, which saw no top prize winner.
Former AFL player turned social media star Mark Orval (pictured) told Sunrise he would leave his wife if he won Powerball’s record $200 million jackpot on Thursday night
Sunrise host Edwina Bartholomew said: “There may be a few conversations going on in that household today, Lotto win or not.”
The former Collingwood player turned social media personality under the name ‘AngryDad’ took to Instagram to say he was joking and apologized to his wife, Sharon.
“How ironic that I went for a leisurely walk at 4:30 in the morning to plan my outing after tonight, and boom, I get asked about my plan and foolishly gave it away,” he said.
“Sorry Sharon, I was obviously joking.”
Mr. Orval would later ironically comment that “divorce is on the horizon” on a post his wife made watching the segment.
The multi-million dollar prize – the largest lottery prize offered in Australian history – will be life-changing for one lucky winner when the winning numbers are drawn and announced after entries close at 7.30pm.
The jackpot is the largest lottery prize offered in Australian history, with gamblers across the country expected to be on the edge of their seats to draw the winning numbers
Officials at the Lott expect about half of Australian adults, about 10 million people, will buy an entry into Thursday’s lottery.
The winning Powerball numbers will be drawn at 8:30 PM Australian Standard Time and at 9:30 PM for states and territories on daylight saving time.
Players who win the top prize will typically have to wait about two weeks before receiving their winnings, according to The Lott.
The previous record jackpot was $160 million, while the largest lottery win was claimed by a Sydney mother who took home $109 million in 2019.