Winning the lottery can feel great, but for one Australian who bagged AU$100m from a recent draw, there is little difference. The reason? They have not stepped forward to claim the reward, with the lottery already raising an issue over the fact.
Australian Mystery Winner Still Unknown, But No Need for Concern
The ticket, which was sold at Bondi Junction Newsagency & Internet Café, has not yet been claimed, and lottery officials have used this opportunity to remind lottery players to always register their tickets so that the lottery can track them down if the need is.
However, the limbo and suspense do not necessarily mean that the player, who only won on Thursday, actually lost their ticket or isn’t aware of the fact. Instead, they may still be taking their time. The fate of Powerball winners can become quite anecdotal, just ask the guy who won $167 million in Kentucky and ended up in jail just days after.
Many lottery winners prefer to get in touch with professional financial consultants and think about the way they are going to invest the money or spread it across their bank accounts before they actually claim the prize.
The lottery, though, has reminded all participants that registering the ticket is the right way to go about playing the lottery.
“Even if you happen to lose or damage your winning ticket, if it is registered to you, you could still unite you with your prize, providing the ultimate peace of mind,” The Lott spokesperson Khat McIntyre said in a statement.
Lottery Urges Everyone to Register Their Tickets
The unknown winner is also possibly the seventh winner to have claimed a Powerball reward of this size, or about to in any place. The Lott reminded players that they may be walking around with winning tickets and be none the wiser, but by registering their tickets, the lottery can ensure that a winning ticket is always honored.
Even if a ticket is lost or destroyed, winners would have a way to verify that they had indeed won everything. The longest person to have stayed anonymous after winning a major prize was a winner in 2018 who bagged AU$55 million, but nobody was aware of who they were.
Another recent Powerball jackpot occurred in California, the United States, where a person won $207 million at the beginning of June – a prize far exceeding the win of the current anonymous winner in Australia.