A WYNNUM grandfather has gone from chocolate baskets to a life-changing fortune, winning the entire $31 million Powerball jackpot in last week’s draw.
The Bayside resident held the only division one winning entry nationally in Powerball draw 1523, drawn on Thursday, July 24, taking home a staggering $31,140,405.47.
When contacted by officials from The Lott on Friday morning, the shocked winner hadn’t even checked his ticket and was left reeling by the news.
“Holy sh**! Wow. Unbelievable!” he exclaimed.
“Oh, my goodness. Words can’t explain how I’m feeling right now. Dear, dear, dear. This does so much for my family.
It’ll set up my kids and grandkids.”
The retiree said the win would be used to help others, as he had already lived a full life and ticked off most items on his bucket list.
“Never in a million years did I think I would get this call,” he said.
“I’m retired myself. I’ve lived a happy life, and I’ve been lucky enough to tick most things off my bucket list, so this will be used more for helping others.”
He described the win as unbelievable, joking that his biggest prize before this was a chocolate Easter basket.
“These are my numbers I’ve played for years. I chose them a long time ago now. I usually play Saturday Gold Lotto, but sometimes I play Powerball when it has a higher jackpot,” he said.
“It’s funny because I also bought a Set for Life ticket and thought, ‘Wow, it’d be nice to get that’, but this is even better.
“You’ve made my day. You’ve made my week. You’ve made my kids’ lifetime.”
His winning PowerHit entry was purchased online via The Lott website, the official home of Australia’s lotteries.
The winning numbers in Powerball draw 1523 were 2, 25, 6, 4, 31, 34 and 19. The Powerball number was 20.
This was the only division one win in the country for the draw, and Queensland’s latest big lotto win brings The Lott’s division one tally for 2025 to 242 – including 55 by Golden Casket customers.
In 2024, Powerball paid out more than $773 million in prize money across 21 division one winning entries.
That year included a record $200 million jackpot and saw Australia’s biggest individual lottery winner – an Adelaide man who scored $150 million.
