A father from Main Beach on Queensland’s Gold Coast has scooped an $8 million Oz Lotto jackpot on his birthday, after holding the only Division One winning entry nationally, describing the win as “mind-boggling” moments after finally taking the call from The Lott.
An Australian father has won $8 million on his birthday after purchasing a winning ticket through The Lott’s website. The Main Beach resident held the only Division One winning entry anywhere in the country in Oz Lotto Draw 1699, drawn on Tuesday, 8 September, meaning he takes home the entire prize pool rather than sharing it with another jackpot winner. The timing proved especially fitting: The Lott officials were unable to reach him on Wednesday morning, as he was busy at work, and by the time the call finally connected, it happened to fall on his birthday.
‘I’ve won $8 million?!’
Once the news sank in, the winner struggled to contain his shock. “Oh my god! $8 million! I’ve won $8 million?!” he exclaimed. “It’s my birthday today! How absolutely amazing. This is mind-boggling. I think I need to grab a cold drink. My throat is dry.”
He went on to describe the disbelief he and his wife had grown used to feeling during previous lottery draws. “Every Saturday, I take my wife out to dinner for a date-night, and I’m always saying, ‘Oh, they bloody didn’t ring us again.'”
Saving the news for a face-to-face moment
Despite the excitement, the winner chose not to share the news with his wife immediately over the phone. “I’m going to wait until I finish work to tell her the great news. I don’t want to do it over a phone call. I’ll have to stop into the bottle-o and buy a bottle of champagne. I’m sure she will say to me, ‘Why do you have tears in your eyes? Are you okay?'”
He also thanked staff at The Lott for delivering the news, jokingly describing their role as “the best job in the world,” and called the win “a really nice gift” as the reality of the windfall continued to set in.
A win that comes at a difficult time
The winner said the money would provide welcome support for his family after a challenging period. “It’s been a tough time for my family and I. I’ve had some troubles with my health, so this has come at a good time,” he revealed, adding that he plans to use the winnings to help his family going forward.
Details of the winning ticket
The winning entry was a marked System ticket purchased online through The Lott’s website, a format that involves selecting more numbers than a standard game and generates multiple number combinations, increasing the chances of a win. The winning numbers in Draw 1699 were 9, 8, 30, 29, 32, 22 and 17, with supplementary numbers 23, 45 and 40.
Other prize winners in the draw
Beyond the Division One jackpot, the draw produced a total of 261,820 winners across the other prize divisions, with lower-tier prizes collectively paying out more than $5.52 million. The Division Two prize was shared by eight winners, each receiving $25,327.15, while the Division Three prize was split between 113 winners, who each took home $2,119.10.
The next Oz Lotto draw is scheduled for Saturday, 12 September, with a fresh Division One jackpot set to roll over should no winning entry be drawn.
