‘Handbags, pockets, anything’: Inside the hunt for mystery $100m winner
In June last year someone walked into the Bondi Junction News Agency and bought a lottery ticket that would win a $100 million jackpot.
A year later the jackpot is still unaccounted for and Sydney’s east news agency is renewing its appeal to the public to track down the mysterious millionaire.
More than a year after the $100 million jackpot was announced, the elusive winner still hasn’t received his prize
The only existing evidence of his win is framed on the wall behind the store counter where retail assistant Grace Martino works three days a week.
Speaking to NewsWire, Ms Martino said the newsagent was diligent in reminding people to check their old tickets.
“There was a winner, a ticket, that got the correct number. But we didn’t see the ticket and we didn’t see the winner. We have the metal plaque there to prove we sold it… but that’s all we can say,” Ms. Martino said.
“We ask our customers to check tickets, check drawers, check bags, purses, pockets and anything else the ticket might be stored in.”
Ms Martino said the ticket was purchased by someone who was not registered as a NSW Lottery member; This was a process that allowed the newsagent to contact the lucky winner via phone number and email address.
“We promote the membership card to customers because if that ticket was registered there wouldn’t be a problem in the world… if people sign up, the card is free and protects your ticket all the way to the bank,” he said.
Despite the ongoing mystery, Ms. Martino said there was no shortage of people coming into the store claiming to have won the jackpot.
“I don’t know how many people have applied to fill out the claim form in the last 12 months,” he said.
“I’m sure it’s around a few hundred. But the thing is, people have to ask all the right questions, and the most important answer is what time they bought the ticket,” he said.
“There’s a 10-minute window that needs to be filled out correctly and people ask all these questions. They tell us ‘but you have cameras’ and I say ‘yeah we have cameras but that can’t tell us when we sold it’.”
Ms. Martino told NewsWire she would use the money to help people.
“I would send it all to charity. It’s so much money it doesn’t need to sit in the bank,” he said.
“I don’t need a hundred million, my family doesn’t need a hundred million, but it would be great to help a lot of people.”
Lott spokesman Khat McIntyre said it was extremely rare for major league winners to wait that long to step forward and claim their prize.
“It’s rare for major prizes to go unclaimed for long periods of time, and we’re keen to connect our $100 million mystery winner with their prize,” he said.
“Almost a year later, this life-changing ticket may still be sitting unchecked. We are unable to contact the winner directly as the entry has not been recorded.”
