Powerball winner: Melbourne man takes home $80 million, finally found after ignoring phone calls
Australia’s latest multimillionaire has been found after he finally retrieved his phone as lottery officials scrambled to share the life-changing news.
The man bought the only major league ticket in draw 1552 on Thursday night and won $80 million.
Retiree Victoria did not answer her phone, and The Lott officials were alarmed when multiple call attempts went straight to voicemail. But the voicemail was full.
After 10 unsuccessful attempts to contact the winner, lottery officials feared they might not be able to get in touch.
After checking his phone, which was on silent, the Alton man called back in complete disbelief.
“Oh my God! Are you kidding?!” he shouted.
“I can’t believe it! Oh my God! I can’t stop crying!”
The retiree, now $80 million richer, became emotional as he told authorities that he had won something for the first time in his life while his family was on a “hard trot”.
“If you have good news for me, it couldn’t come at a better time,” he said.
“My family has been going through a tough time lately and this is just the best news.
“I was in the study and my phone was in the bedroom. When I got back to my phone later, I saw that I had so many missed calls!
“You have no idea how much this means to me.
“I’ve never won anything in my life, let alone $80 million!”
The new multimillionaire has revealed modest plans for his fortune, saying he wants to enjoy some “peace and quiet” and take a trip to Italy.
“I haven’t been to Italy since I was 10, and I’ve wanted to go back ever since,” he said.
“You changed my life.”
In addition to the single winner in division one, tonight’s Powerball drawing had 2,133,319 winners in divisions two through nine, winning more than $50.04 million. This includes 13 minor league winners who earned $106,768.70 each.
winning numbers PowerfulIn the draw on Thursday, February 12, 2026, the numbers were 1552, 20, 30, 21,18, 11, 14 and 12. The most important Powerball number was 7.
This weekend, $20 million will be up for grabs in the Saturday Lotto, followed by $30 million in the Oz Lotto on Tuesday.
