An incredibly fortunate man nearly missed the call of his life, notifying him of a whopping jackpot.
That's the story of an Altona, Victoria, Australia, resident, who scored the single division one winning entry for Powerball, taking down the mind-blowing AU$80mjackpot.
The lucky retiree purchased his winning 50-game QuickPick entry from The Lott's official website.
Entering Powerball draw 1552 on Thursday, February 12, 2026, the incredibly fortunate player matched all winning numbers to score the jackpot.
Powerball draw 1552 saw winning numbers 20, 30, 21, 18, 14 and 12, as well as Powerball number 7 drawn.
The single division one winning entry was that of the Altona man, who will now enjoy the entire AU$80mjackpot.
The Powerball drawing on Thursday also awarded more than AU$50m in lower-tier prizes, considering that there were 2,133,319 winners in division two.
This includes 13 division two winners who each scored AU$106,768.70.
Not only did the victorious Victorian won the entire AU$80m jackpot, but he became the winner of the largest-ever lottery prize in the state.
When The Lott tried to contact the winner following the drawing, they couldn't reach him at first.
After ringing the Melbourne man's phone number, the lottery official's calls were sent straight to voicemail.
However, The Lott continued to try and reach the winner.
When he finally answered the phone, the Altona retiree was worried and in disbelief.
"Oh my god! Are you joking?! I can't believe it! Oh my god! I can't stop crying," the lucky man exclaimed.
The winner explained that while his phone was ringing, he was in another room and was shocked once he saw the many missed calls.
Speaking about the unexpected windfall, the fortunate man added: "You have no idea how much this means to me. I’ve never won anything in my life, let alone $80 million!"
The victorious Victorian added that the life-changing jackpot from Powerball comes at the perfect moment, considering that his family has gone through a "rough trot lately."
Asked about his plans for his newfound fortune, the man admitted that he wants to visit Italy.
"I haven't been to Italy since I've been 10 years old, and I have wanted to go back ever since," the retiree said.
Finally, he thanked the lottery once again and admitted that this jackpot changed his life.
Image credit: Pixabay.com
