-
Winning ticket holder yet to claim prize
-
Winning ticket was sold at a Newsagency in Bondi Junction
-
Frantic search for Powerball winner who has yet to claim $100million prize
The hunt is on for a lucky Powerball winner who has yet to claim their $100million prize – as officials reveal what could happen to the money if it remains unclaimed and how they might track down the winner.
The elusive
Sydney
player held the only division one winning ticket for Powerball draw 1517 on June 12.
But despite two weeks passing since the draw, the winner has not come forward.
Tomorrow marks the day their prize money could have landed in their bank account – if they had claimed it.
To receive the life-changing sum, the mystery player must present their winning ticket.
The Lott official Matt Hart told Daily Mail Australia that the team is doing everything in its power to reunite the $100 million prize with its rightful owner.
‘There’s certainly information and evidence that we will use to unite and validate the prize with its rightful owner,’ Mr Hart said.
‘This includes information we cannot release publicly, such as when the ticket was purchased, the type of ticket and how it was paid for. These are details only the ticket purchaser would know.
‘We have a team that is collating and reviewing all evidence in relation to this ticket and actively exploring all available measures to unite the winner with their prize.’
Many speculated the winner lost their ticket and questioned whether CCTV footage from the shop where they had bought the ticket could be used to identify them.
Mr Hart explained The Lott has a lost and damaged ticket process that requires applicants to provide details only they would know including date and time of purchase, type of entry and how it was paid.
The winning entry was purchased at Bondi Junction Newsagency and Internet Cafe, Shop 2, 191-195 Oxford Street, in Bondi Junction.
However, it was not registered to The Lott Members Club. If it had been, lottery officials would have reached out to the winner immediately after the draw.
Mr Hart said the unclaimed prize money was a great reminder for participants to register their tickets.
‘Your ticket could be worth millions of dollars, so it makes sense that if you’re going to buy one, you should register it to The Lott Members Club. It’s free, simple and ensures you are paid the prize you win,’ Mr Hart said.
‘This Powerball winner could be celebrating a life-changing payday tomorrow if they had registered their entry or presented the winning ticket to start the prize claim process.
Mr Hart explained in NSW players have six years to claim their prize. After that time, the prize is gone,
‘In NSW, along with Queensland and the Northern Territory, unclaimed prizes are used to grow the games for the benefit of players and the community.
‘This could include bonus draws and promotions, paying additional prizes, and making donations to local charities.’
In 2018, a $55million Powerball prize remained unclaimed for 175 days before the winner came forward to pocket their earnings.
Mr Hart said there have been many division one winners who come forward months and even years after their winning numbers are drawn.
‘In most cases, these winners have told us the winning ticket was hiding in plain sight the whole time – in their wallet or purse, in the car console or on the fridge door,’ Mr Hart said.
‘This month, a man from Wonthaggi came forward after almost six months to claim his $2.1 million TattsLotto prize.
‘The winning ticket was given to him by his wife in a Christmas card… and he just hadn’t got around to checking it.’
Since the introduction of registering tickets to The Lott Members Club, the list of unclaimed prizes has dwindled.
Currently, there are 17 other division one and 1st Prize wins totalling $16.7million that remain unclaimed across Australia.
The unclaimed prizes include two Set for Live division one prizes worth $4.8million each.
More than half of the unclaimed prizes are from tickets bought in NSW totalling a whopping $7.65million.
Five tickets remain unclaimed in Queensland totalling $2.75million, two in the Australian Capital Territory worth $5.34million and one in Victoria for $1million.
The unclaimed prize money are for tickets bought between March 2019 and June 2025.
The odds of a single entry winning the division-one prize are more than 134 million to one.
The winning numbers in draw 1517 on Thursday 12 June 2025 were 28, 10, 3, 16, 31, 14 and 21, with the all-important Powerball number of 6.
The Lott’s division one winner tally has reached 194, including 55 winners in NSW, so far in 2025.
In 2024, 21 Powerball division one winning entries across Australia won more than $773million in prize money.
An Adelaide man who won $150million last year became the nation’s biggest individual lottery winner.
Of the 21 Powerball division one winning entries in 2024, 11 were in NSW, six in Queensland, two in Victoria and one each in South Australia and Western Australia.
National Gambling Helpline 1800 858 858.
Read more
