Powerball results: Hundreds of Aussies were barred from entering record-breaking $200million lottery draw thanks to strange error
Hundreds of Australians were banned from Thursday night’s $200 million Powerball draw thanks to an unexpected error.
More than 10 million people β about half the country’s adult population β were expected to buy tickets for the record-breaking draw.
And the mad rush to get a ticket caused problems for Oz Lotteries, which couldn’t process all the last-minute entries in time.
Refunds had to be given to a ‘small proportion’ of syndicate players who bought their tickets during a late rush hour.
Hundreds of Australians were banned from Thursday night’s $200 million Powerball draw thanks to an unexpected error
βThe majority of ticket orders were placed on time, but a small proportion of the more complicated syndicate entry requests could not be placed, with money refunded to customers,β Oz Lotteries said on Friday.
‘This was due to the nature of how syndicate entries are filled and the enormous load on servers in the final moments of the draw.’
An earlier deadline will be introduced if major jackpots are at stake in the future.
Two lucky Aussies split the $200 million prize and took home $100 million each.
A woman from Hawthorne in Brisbane’s north-east called the Lott on Friday morning to confirm she was the joint winner.
She checked her winning entry around 6am as she got ready to go to the gym, but shockingly discovered she had the winning numbers.
The woman was in disbelief when officials told her she had won.
More than 10 million people β about half the country’s adult population β were expected to buy tickets for the record-breaking draw
‘Oh my God. Is this even real?’ she said.
‘This feels like a dream, and I just have to wake up! I’m in shock. I don’t know what to say.’
She said she decided to check her ticket after waking up a little earlier than usual for her gym class.
‘I scanned the ticket on the Lott app and all the winning numbers immediately lit up and I saw that I had won $100 million on my phone.
‘I started pacing back and forth wondering if it was real. I didn’t know who to call or what to say. I hit my face and told myself to wake up!’
She said she bought the ticket from the Oxford Street news agency in Bulimba in an attempt to change her career path.
She plans to also go on a foreign trip with her family after she lands the fortune.
‘I’ve always wanted to start my own business and I don’t know where to start, but now it’s within reach.
βI would love to buy some acreage in Queensland and even take my loved ones to Italy for a nice holiday next year!β
Two lucky Aussies split the $200 million prize and took home $100 million each
The woman joins a mother from Singleton on the NSW north coast who won half of the $200 million jackpot.
She plans to quit her job immediately and travel the world.
The woman and her husband’s lives were “turned upside down” on Thursday night after they checked their ticket and saw that all their numbers matched the record-breaking $200 million draw.
The couple received a call from The Lott on the first ring in pure excitement after winning the top prize.
βIt’s a lot of money, a lot of money to fathom,β the woman told a Lott official.
βI mean, you joke about winning, but you never expect it to happen to you.
‘My partner is here with me now, he is a bit in shock. He loves his job, so I don’t know if he’ll retire.β
She said her family would celebrate their victory this weekend, but the woman has yet to decide how to spend the money.
‘There are always a lot of hypothetical questions about what I would like to do, but now I’m at a loss for words. I have no idea.’
The winning numbers in Powerball drawing 1446 were 12, 33, 23, 35, 1, 26 and 32β. The all-important Powerball number was 10.