The appeal of a near-record Powerball jackpot of $150 million is that thousands of tickets are being snapped up every minute by Australians dreaming of the life-changing riches.
With no Division One winners in the past five weeks, Thursday’s jackpot has become the second-largest lottery prize in Australian history, behind a $160 million jackpot in 2022.
A spokesperson for The Lott, which organizes the draw, said they expected a scramble to enter as the deadline for buying tickets was approaching.
Draw 1445 closes at 7:30pm AEST. Tickets are available in store, online and through the official Powerball app.
Thursday night’s Powerball draw 1445 offers the second-largest lottery jackpot in Australian history
The Lott also answered questions about whether a lucky winner should worry that a large chunk of their windfall will end up in the hands of the tax authorities.
Lottery prizes – won through participation in Golden Casket, NSW Lotteries, Tatts, Tatts NT and SA Lotteries – are classified as tax-free income in Australia, but depending on how the money is used, it may be subject to tax.
“Once your prize is in a bank account, the interest you earn on your prize is subject to income tax for both you and the gift recipients,” The Lott advised.
A win can also affect other sources of income.
“If you are currently receiving social security benefits from Centrelink, your award may affect your entitlement,” it says.
‘This depends on the size of your prize and the current value of your assets.’
De Lott told Channel Seven News that the best course of action is to seek individual, tailored financial advice.
The most common winning numbers are 17, 7, 11, 2, 3 and 9, it was revealed earlier this year
Earlier this year it was announced that the most common winning numbers are 17, 7, 11, 2, 3 and 9.
However, those with the numbers 33, 15, 34, 31, 26 and 1 may not be so lucky; because they are drawn less often.
There were twenty Powerball Division 1 winning entries, which took home more than $552.15 million nationally last year.
New South Wales had eight winners, while there were seven in Victoria, two each in South Australia and Western Australia, but only one in Queensland.
More than half of Powerball’s winning entries in the first division were QuickPicks – which is when the machine selects randomly generated numbers in-store or when purchasing online.
These winning entries were also selected as ‘PowerHit’, meaning the player will automatically draw the Powerball number needed to win the Division 1 prize.
