Albion Park Powerball winner - $16 million

A man from the Wollongong suburb of Albion Park has not only won this week's $15 million Division One Powerball prize, he has also picked up an extra $1 million in divisional prizes.

“I don’t know how I feel, my heart is beating fast, I’m shaking, I feel a bit lost,” the winner, who is in his early fifties, said when his win was confirmed by a NSW Lotteries official this morning.

“I have been playing Powerball for years; I used my grandkids’ birth dates to pick my numbers, so as soon as I saw the winning numbers in the newspaper this morning I knew they were mine.

“The ticket was in my car, so I ran outside and checked it and screamed to my wife to come and check it, then I got my daughter to check the numbers on the internet and we all saw the same thing, they were my numbers.

“I went to Albion Park Newsagency to check the numbers again and then I called NSW Lotteries so that someone there could tell me that it’s all true,” the Albion Park grandfather said.

“I keep asking my wife if this is really happening. I’ve dreamed and dreamed about winning Powerball but never really thought it would become a reality. This kind of thing happens to other people, not me!

“When I hear stories about people winning big I always think, ‘well good on them, maybe it will be my turn one day,’ but I never actually thought it would be. I can’t describe this feeling.

“Everything has changed now. I’ll set-up my kids and look after my wife; I’ll buy her the dream house she has always wanted. I think we can also safely say that I’ll retire,” laughed the winner.

The winner played a Power 45 Powerball ticket, purchased from Picton Newsagency, 121 Argyle Street, Picton. The winning ticket cost $31.30.

Click to view the results of the Powerball draw for 12 May, 2011 (draw number 782).