'I haven't had a lot of sleep': Wagga Wagga woman wins top prize in Australia's Powerball

A lucky Aussie had won a life-changing amount of money. Photo / Supplied via news.com.au

One young Aussie, who wanted to try her luck on New Year's eve, has barely slept after discovering she had taken home $10 million in the Powerball draw.

The Wagga Wagga woman only thought to check her ticket when she noticed it in her bag after welcoming in 2021 with friends.

"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," she said.

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

She held the only division one winning entry in the Powerball draw scoring the entire AU$9.8 million ($10.47m) jackpot, describing the win as 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.," she said.

But The Riverina region resident isn't rushing out to spend the money, declaring she had one priority first,

"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 winning numbers in the draw were 1, 11, 28, 8, 7, 2 and 16. The all-important Powerball number was 7.

The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, purchased her entry at Lucky Crow Lotto in Wagga Wagga.

Owner of Lucky Crow Lotto, David Ritter, said his team were thrilled to discover one of their customers had become 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."

Of the 14 Powerball division one winning entries in the last financial year, seven landed in Queensland, four in New South Wales, two in Victoria and one in South Australia.

A Brisbane uni student in his 20s won AU$20 million ($21.4m) a fortnight ago.

The last time an AU$8 million ($8.55m) Powerball prize was won was in May when a retired couple from Townsville took two days to check their ticket and discover they had won.

The Townsville mum said that winning something that big overnight was unbelievable and planned to use the money to help family, donate to some charities and to buy a diamond ring that could become a family heirloom.

In 2020 there were 13 Powerball division one winning entries, before the New Year's Eve draw, who collectively took home more than AU$460 million ($491m) in prize money.