Couple Finally Finds Lost Lottery Ticket Almost a Week After Prize Draw, Reveals Plans for the Money
Latoya Gayle
September 14, 2025 at 1:00 AM
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NEED TO KNOW
* A couple in Australia unknowingly had a lottery ticket worth over $13 million on their fridge for days after the Powerball results were drawn on Sept. 4
* The wife told officials at The Lott that she and her husband hadn't checked their ticket because they were "really busy"
* "This is unbelievable. We had no idea, and this whole time the ticket was just sitting on our fridge," she said
An Australian couple is in disbelief after overlooking their lottery ticket worth over $13 million ($20 million AUD) for multiple days after the winning numbers were drawn.
The winners of the over $50 million ($80 million AUD) Powerball drawing were announced on Thursday, Sept. 4, ticket providers, The Lott, said in a news release. A set of grandparents, who live in Melbourne's affluent Brighton suburb, unknowingly held one of the four division one winning entries, which would score them a generous share of the prize fund.
The couple was not registered to The Lott Members Club, which left officials unable to contact them and instead they had to wait for the ticket holders to come forward.
"That's insane! I'm in shock!" the winning wife told The Lott when they finally caught up with the pair. "This is unbelievable. We had no idea, and this whole time the ticket was just sitting on our fridge."
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The wife said she and her husband had "both been really busy" and so checking their Powerball ticket slipped their minds.
She revealed the numbers that won them over $13 million ($20 million AUD) were chosen entirely by chance.
"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," the wife said, per The Lott's news release.
The couple, who have "worked really hard" throughout their lives, are planning to spend their winnings on their children and grandchildren.
They also hope to buy themselves a "little house."
"We have bought tickets on and off for years. I can't believe it," the winning wife said. "Heck! I don't know if I should keep working or retire."
She joked, "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."
The couple bought their ticket from a store in East Brighton. The winning numbers were 9, 22, 23, 3, 13, 28 and 32, while the Powerball number was 5.
"I can't believe it! This is the best news," East Brighton News agency owner Sajjad Sadeghi Goorbandi said, per The Lott's news release. "This is actually the first Division One winning ticket we've sold since I took over ownership two years ago.
"I'm so happy. I'm going to call my colleagues now and tell them the great news," he added. "Congratulations to the winner! Thank you for supporting us!"
Read the original article on People