Two to share record $214 million Powerball lottery haul in Australia

A Queenslander yet to check their Powerball ticket could be the person set to take home half of the country’s largest-ever jackpot of A$200 million ($214 million).

The mystery division-one winner bought an unregistered ticket for Thursday night’s draw, leaving lottery officials to wait for them to check their ticket and call to begin the prize claim process.

All that is known publicly at this stage is the ticket was purchased in southeast Queensland.

Should the person not come forward on Friday, the outlet that sold the ticket is expected to be revealed on Saturday.

The Powerball jackpot jumped to A$200 million after no one snagged the top prize for six weeks.

Officials had no such trouble uncovering the other winner of Thursday’s draw - a couple in the NSW Hunter Valley town of Singleton.

The man and woman, who had purchased a 50-game ticket online for about A$70, reportedly answered the Lott’s call on the first ring as they lay in bed shortly after the draw.

”It’s a lot of money. A lot of money to fathom!” the woman said, according to Powerball operator The Lott.

”Well, I absolutely won’t be working anymore! I mean, honestly, do I really need to?

”My partner is here with me now. He’s a bit in shock. He loves his job, so I don’t know if he’ll be retiring.”

Alongside the two division-one winning entries, 22 lottery ticket holders each bagged the division-two prize of A$177,093.

The Powerball jackpot jumped to an unprecedented A$200 million - the largest lottery haul in Australian history - after no one snagged the top prize for six consecutive weeks.

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

Of the 20 Powerball division-one winners in 2023, eight were purchased in NSW, seven in Victoria, two each in South Australia and Western Australia and one in Queensland.