News writer
A forgotten Powerball ticket
A pair of grandparents in Melbourne, Australia, were shocked to find out they had been sitting on a $13 million ($20 million AUD)-winning ticket for days. The couple found out they won the life-changing money only after checking the ticket after it had been sitting on their fridge for days.
On Thursday, September 4, 2025, The Lott announced the winners of the over $50 million Powerball draw.
However, the grandparents, who are from Melbourne’s Brighton suburb, didn’t have a clue that they were holding one of the four division-winning entries. They were sitting on a $13 million prize and had no clue.
In Australia, The Lott contacts jackpot winners after the drawing. However, this couple was not registered to The Lott’s members club, so they couldn’t get hold of them. Because of that, The Lott had to wait for the winners to realize they were holding the winning ticket and come forward to claim their prize.
The winners come forward
While The Lott waited, the duo finally remembered about their ticket, which happened to be casually sitting on their fridge.
After determining they had a winning ticket, they made their way to the lottery headquarters to claim their prize. The wife told lottery officials, “That’s insane! I’m in shock!”
She added, “This is unbelievable. We had no idea, and this whole time the ticket was just sitting on our fridge.”
The woman said she and her husband had “both been really busy” and they forgot to check their Powerball ticket. However, it all worked out in the end.
Quick Pick numbers with meaning
The lucky winners told lottery officials that the numbers that won them $13 million were not anything they picked, but oddly enough, they have some meaning to this couple.
The woman told lottery officials, “Oh wow. It was just a QuickPick, but I see my lucky number is here, and some family birthdays and anniversaries. It was meant to be.”
So yes, while the ticket was a Quick Pick and the machine picked the numbers for them, those numbers actually had some connection and meaning to her.
Big family plans for the winnings
Now that the couple, who chose to remain anonymous, have claimed their winnings, they are making some big plans to spend that money, but on their children and grandchildren. The couple has worked really hard all their lives, so they do plan on buying themselves a “little house” with the winnings.
“We have bought tickets on and off for years. I can’t believe it,” the wife continued. “Heck! I don’t know if I should keep working or retire. I’ve had a radical change of plans for the day, that’s for sure. It will take a long time for this to sink in.”
First Division One win for the news agency
The winning numbers for this drawing were 9, 22, 23, 3, 13, 28, and 32, with the Powerball number being 5. The couple bought their winning ticket from a store in East Brighton.
The owner of the news agency, Sajjad Sadeghi Goorbandi, told lottery officials, "I can’t believe it! This is the best news. This is actually the first Division One winning ticket we’ve sold since I took over ownership two years ago. I'm so happy.”
Enjoy playing the lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
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