Powerball Winner of $55,000,000 Still A Mystery!

The search is still on for a Melbourne Powerball winner to come forth and claim their $55,000,000 Powerball win! Won back in January 2018, the draw was the highest jackpot amount in Australia in 12 months.

The winning ticket was for Powerball draw 1130 on 11th January. It includes the six winning numbers: 32, 7, 5, 38, 11 and the Powerball number 12. The ticket was purchased from a local newsagency in Brunswick. Amazingly, the mystery winner was alone with the numbers, meaning they will win the entire jackpot amount.

Almost three months later, the winner has yet to claim their prize. Because the ticket was unregistered, there is no way to contact the lucky winner and tell them about the life-changing win. And with only three months left to claim their prize, time is running out for the winner. They must claim their prize before July 11th, 2018.

There are currently millions of dollars of unclaimed prizes, which are usually small amounts. However, there have been cases where Division 1 prizes have also been left unclaimed by people who have purchased their tickets in newsagencies. Probably a result of losing their ticket or not checking results, things like this happen often. However, purchasing tickets online eliminates the possibility of unclaimed prizes. All major winners are contacted by Oz Lotteries and winnings are paid directly into your account.

What happens if a winner does not come forward?

Each state has different rules and regulations on what happens to unclaimed prizes. Below is a state by state breakdown:

Victoria:

In Victoria, a winner has six months to come forward and claim their prize. If the prize is not claimed by this date, the prize will be handed over to the Victorian State Revenue Officer, also known as (SRO). If the winner does come forth after the set date, they can then claim their money from the SRO.

New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory:

Within these two states, players have up to six years to claim their winnings from their state lottery provider. If the prize has not been claimed within that time period, the prize money goes to the state government.

Queensland:

Even more time, Queensland winners have seven years to come forward to claim their lotto win.

South Australia:

Due to strict gambling regulations, winners in South Australia have the shortest amount of time to claim their prize. If a winner has not claimed their prize within twelve months, the money will be turned over to the state government and forfeited. After this period, the winner could file an ex gratia claim if they wish to retrieve their money.

Western Australia:

Finally, if you’re a winner in Western Australia, you only have twelve months to claim your prize before it is forfeited. Any prize that has been forfeited will be transferred to the state government and will be used for community funding purposes.

Don’t let this happen to you. Purchase your official Powerball tickets online now for one of your favourite games. Be the next Powerball winner!