Mystery $40million Aussie Lotto winner finally comes forward to claim his prize: How he found out he won

By AIDAN WONDRACZ, ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR, AUSTRALIA Published: 03:56, 8 July 2026 | Updated: 04:27, 8 July 2026 An Aussie has claimed his $40million Powerball prize two weeks on from the life-changing draw after he finally checked his ticket because of a news report.  The man, from Woden in Canberra, had bought a ticket for Powerball draw 1571 when it was drawn on June 25. He was the only winner, but had no idea about it until he saw a news segment that the prize had gone unclaimed for two weeks. The man then decided to check his ticket and realised he had the winning numbers. 'I'm still in shock!' he laughed. 'I just can't believe it. I had no idea until a couple of days ago. 'I had completely forgot about my ticket until I saw on the news that they were looking for a winner with an unregistered ticket. I thought, "Maybe it's me!" 'The ticket had just been sitting in my wallet this whole time. I really still can't believe it.' An Aussie had no idea he was the mystery winner of a $40million Powerball draw until he heard about it on the news weeks later (stock image) The winner revealed that he would continue to work.  'I still plan to work. It'll more be there for future children and grandchildren,' he said. 'I'm so happy. Thank you so much!' The ticket was purchased at Thistle Kiosk in Westfield Woden. Owner Rudy Lu revealed the newsagency had sold seven division one winning tickets in the last 20 years.  'I took over the business two years ago and have sold two division one winning entries here, however the business is long established and has sold over 20 division one winning entries in the past 50 years,' he said. 'When I saw the news there was an unregistered winner in Canberra, I had a feeling it was us that sold it.' The winning numbers in the Powerball draw were 7, 29, 25, 18, 26, 23 and 17. The Powerball number was 16.