NSW Powerball
Last Updated: Monday 2nd February 2015, 09:16
A New South Wales Powerball jackpot and divisional prizes totalling $16.1 million has been claimed by a winner from Sydney, Australia. The winner matched five main numbers and the Powerball number on Saturday 15 March thanks to playing every possible Powerball with a Power 45 entry
For those of you who are not familiar with the Powerball Australia game, it works much like the Powerball game played in the USA, though the odds of winning are greater because of the fewer numbers involved. To win the jackpot, players must select five main numbers from 45 and one Powerball from 45. The odds of doing this with a single entry are 1 in 54,979,156.
The Power 45 entry that the winner of the 15 March draw played currently costs $28.65 and allows the player to enter one set of five main numbers with all 45 possible Powerballs. By doing this, the player is guaranteed to win the jackpot (or share therefore if there are multiple winners) no matter which Powerball is drawn.
“Many people would be unaware that it is possible to improve your chances of winning Powerball by covering all 45 numbers in the second ball drawing machine for just under $30 a game,” said John Vineburg, Communications Manager for NSW Lotteries. “Of course you still need to correctly guess the first five numbers drawn but it gives a big boost to your chances of winning.”
The $16 million winner boosted his chances even further by playing not one but three separate Power 45 entries, and whilst this lucky lottery player has requested total anonymity, the owner of the shop that sold him the tickets was not shy about saying how delighted he was.
“I was a little shocked when I found out, but now my staff and I feel like we’ve won,” said Jake Wang of North Strathfield Newsagency. “I feel so proud that my shop sold the winning Powerball ticket. Some of the agents in the area have called me to say congratulations... this is certainly the biggest news in our area today.”