A woman from Ballina in New South Wales has become Australia’s third-biggest lottery winner after securing a $100 million Powerball jackpot.
The winner, who bought her entry online, was the only person in Australia to match all seven numbers and the Powerball number in Thursday night’s draw.
She initially believed a call from lottery operator The Lott was a prank by her cousin.
“Bloody hell! Is this my cousin pranking me?” she reportedly said before repeating: “My cousin is pranking me!”
The woman said she believed her win was connected to the recent death of a family member, describing it as a sign that they were watching over her.
“We recently had a death in the family, and I think it’s a sign from them; they’re so looking after me!” she said.
She added: “We’ve had signs all day from them; things moving, cans moving, bags waving in the wind.”
The winner said she planned to pay off her mortgage and use the money to help relatives and others.
“This will help a lot of people. Not just me but lots of family members,” she said.
She also planned to celebrate with breakfast in bed, saying: “Celebrating with breakfast in bed tomorrow – scrambled eggs and bacon for me!”
The winning entry was an $18.90, 12-game QuickPick ticket.
