Powerball winner: Woman wins $60 million after last-minute number change on ticket
One Australian is thanking her lucky stars after a last-minute change gave her the winning ticket in Thursday’s $60m Powerball.
One Australian is now $60 million richer, with the winner revealing it was a last-minute decision that left her with the winning numbers.
On Thursday, only one ticket held the numbers for the Powerball division one win, with that ticket belonging to a woman from Queanbeyan, NSW.
“Oh my god! Holy crap!” she exclaimed when officials confirmed she had won $60 million.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“Oh goodness. I know who you are, but I can’t believe this is real.
“It’s insane, absolutely insane!”
However, after speaking with lottery officials on Thursday night, the woman, who had selected a PowerHit ticket, revealed that a last-minute decision while buying her ticket was responsible for the massive win.
“I actually changed one of the numbers on the PowerHit,” she said.
“I did a fast select on the ticket, but then thought I had too many numbers in the 30s. I had 33 and 34, so I took out 33 and made it 5. How insane is that!”
It was a very lucky change, with the winning numbers in Powerball draw 1567 on Thursday 28 May 2026 being 26, 30, 10, 34, 16, 5 and 12. The all-important Powerball number was 11.
The woman not only won division one, but also won division two 19 times, meaning her total prize pool was boosted to an incredible $60,638,678.35.
When contacted by The Lott, the woman confessed she was just on the couch watching the women’s State of Origin. Now, she is set to make plans on how to enjoy her fortune.
“I’m just an everyday worker paying off a mortgage, struggling with cost of living,” she said.
“Up until 10 minutes ago, I had a mortgage.”
The winner had humble immediate plans, not jumping to an instant early retirement.
“I’ll keep working for now… but it might not be full-time.
“I’m still young enough to enjoy this, share it with the family and make sure everyone’s comfortable for the rest of my life.
“It’s nuts!”
Spokesperson for The Lott Matt Hart told The Nightly he was glad the $60m winner had registered her ticket.
“I was able to contact the 60m winner straight after the draw as she had registered her entry,” he told The Nightly.
He urged all ticket holders to register their tickets, as some unregistered winnings go unclaimed.
That is still the case for the enormous $100 million Powerball win on June 12, 2025.
That winner, The Lott confirmed, has still not come forward, and as the ticket was unregistered, officials have not been able to unite the $100 million prize with the lucky Australian.
“If the ticket holder of the $100 million Powerball win had done that, they would have been almost a year into enjoying their fortune, perhaps enjoying a holiday right now,” Mr Heart said.
“Last night’s win is the perfect example of why we recommend registering your ticket.”
The winner of the elusive $100 million Powerball win purchased their ticket from the Bondi Junction Newsagency and Internet Cafe, located inside Westfield Bondi Junction in Sydney.
