The winner of a mammoth $40 million Powerball jackpot has been identified as a Woden man, who only realised his luck after seeing news reports about the unclaimed prize.
In an official statement, The Lott confirmed the ACT resident held the only division one winning entry nationally in Powerball draw 1571 on Thursday, June 25, 2026.
However, he had no idea of his good fortune until almost two weeks after the draw. Because the winning ticket was not registered to a player card or an online account, officials from The Lott had no way of contacting the winner directly and had to wait for him to come forward.
But after news broke of the mega lottery win, the unsuspecting overnight millionaire decided to check his ticket.
"I'm still in shock. I just can't believe it. I had no idea until a couple of days ago," he said after stepping forward to claim his prize.
"I had completely forgotten about my ticket until I saw on the news that they were looking for a winner with an unregistered ticket. I thought, 'Maybe it's me!'
"The ticket had just been sitting in my wallet this whole time. I really still can't believe it."
Despite pocketing the $40 million windfall, the winner shared that he plans to continue working and will save the prize to set up generational wealth.
"I still plan to work. It'll more be there for future children and grandchildren," he said.
Ticket purchased at Westfield Woden
The winning Powerball ticket was purchased at Thistle Kiosk in Westfield Woden. Owner Rudy Lu said the newsagency was no stranger to selling major prize-winning tickets, having sold seven division one winning entries over the past 20 years.
"When I saw the news there was an unregistered winner in Canberra, I had a feeling it was us that sold it," Mr Lu said.
"Congratulations to the winner. We wish you all the best and hope you spend it wisely."
