What are the odds of this?
An Australian man won more than $30 million––double the jackpot––after he accidentally purchased two Oz Lotto tickets with the same numbers.
The man, who Oz Lotto indentifies as a "hard working man from St. Albans" in Melbourne, Victoria, won $46.6 million ($US 33 million) in the Tuesday draw, which is shocking enough. He was even more shocked to discover that he had done so on two tickets.
The man used the same numbers all the time, but mistakenly purchased the same entry twice, saying he thought one was for the week prior.
"I play every week. I have always marked my entries, but I have never chosen the numbers on anything in particular. They weren't special before, but they are now," he said, noting that he bought the tickets separately at two different outlets in Melbourne.
The man received a phone call from The Lott spokeswoman Bronwyn Spencer, who told him he'd won on both tickets.
"You're kidding," he told them. "Am I seeing things? I just checked my entry online and I think I know what you're about to tell me. I'm speechless. I can't believe it … I just finished work for the night."
He says he's going to take it easy, and can you blame him?
"I might think about retiring. First maybe a new home or a holiday."
People have thoughts, okay?
Speaking to The Age, Spencer said:
"When we reached out to the division one winner from Melbourne to let him know he'd won this massive prize he was completely oblivious to the fact he'd won not once, but twice.
Quite remarkably, the Melbourne man didn't realise he'd bought two entries, he thought he'd bought an entry for a different lottery draw. But because he marks his entries, he marked them with the same numbers that came out of the barrel tonight which meant he won division one twice."
The man holds two of three winning tickets. The third was purchased at Hobart City Lotto in Hobart by an unregistered player who cannot be contacted. Oz Lotto must wait for them to come forward.
@RepClayHiggins/X