About an hour into the New Year, a Wagga Wagga woman in her late 20s discovered she had stepped into 2021 as a newly-minted multi-millionaire having won a $9.8 million Powerball prize. 

The Riverina region resident held the only division one winning entry across Australia in Powerball draw 1285, drawn Thursday 31 December 2020. The entry scored the entire $9,835,085.97 jackpot. 

As the ticket was unregistered, we were unable to make contact with the winner on the night of the draw. We were lucky enough to speak with the winner on Friday morning.

“Wohoo!” she exclaimed. 

“I can’t believe it. Thank you. It’s been quite a night! I haven’t had a lot of sleep. 

“I was with some friends after midnight, and I was just trying to find something in my bag. I saw my ticket and thought maybe the results were out. 

“I checked the ticket on the app but initially didn’t how much I’d won. I had to get my friend to check. 

“It’s just unbelievable! 

“This ticket is maybe the third Powerball ticket I’ve ever bought. I just thought, it’s the end of the year and I should try my luck.” 

While almost $10 million is about to land in her bank account, the winner declared there was only one priority today. 

“I really just need to get some sleep,” she laughed. 

“I don’t know what exactly I’m going to do with my prize. I’m going to sit down and make a plan. 

“All I know is my life is really going to change! It’s a great way to start 2021!” 

The winner, who wishes to remain anonymous, purchase her entry at Lucky Crow Lotto, Kiosk K16, Wagga Wagga Marketplace, 87 Baylis Street, Wagga Wagga. 

Lucky Crow Lotto owner David Ritter said he and his team were thrilled to discover one of their customers had become a multi-millionaire on New Year’s Eve. 

“This is the first division one winning entry we’ve sold. We’re very excited,” he said. 

“The crow is a bit of a symbol of Wagga Wagga, which is why we called our outlet Lucky Crow Lotto. It’s great to see that luck has landed for a Wagga Wagga resident. 

“We wish our winner all the best with their prize. We can’t wait to sell our next division one!”