It was another big week here at the Lott where we saw plenty of prizes and community contributions to go around! 

We’ve put together some of our favourite stories from the week for you to sit back, relax and enjoy.

Grafton sisters “knocked over by excitement” of  division one win

Two New South Wales sisters had their week turned upside down, in the best possible way of course, when we called to confirm their $1 million Monday Lotto win.

“This is incredible!” one of the winning duo exclaimed.

“I play regularly and I always mark my entry, but the numbers that won me division one weren’t particularly special numbers.” 

The Grafton women have big plans for their windfall, with plenty of travel around Australia on the horizon for them both.

Melton men hang up on $100,000 winning news… but dial back to collect their prize

It seemed two men from Melton didn’t want to receive the news they had won 1st Prize in Tuesday’s Lucky Lotteries Super Jackpot draw as they kept hanging up on us!

But when we finally got through to the syndicate leader, he apologised profusely and explained he had been receiving lots of nuisance calls lately.

“Sorry I hung up on you when you called me and ignored all of your calls. I have been receiving a lot of nuisance calls, and I thought it might have been them, or it was some kind of prank!” he laughed. 

The two family members have been playing every week for years, but admitted they had never won anything like this!

Gold Telethon raises more than $1.6 million for sick kids of New South Wales

While things looked a little different this year, the annual Gold Telethon in New South Wales was still an incredible success, raising $1,644,889 for those who need it most.

The two-hour Gold Telethon, broadcast on Monday, saw Channel Nine personalities join remotely to raise much-needed funds for the Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick.

The annual Gold Telethon extravaganza has raised more than $47 million during the past decade.

Mater investigates impacts of COVID-19 on Queensland babies

A Queensland-first trial that will assess the impacts of COVID-19 on expectant parents and their unborn babies is being carried out at Mater Mothers’ Hospitals, supported by a $500 000 donation from the Lott via Golden Casket.

Forming part of the Queensland Family Cohort Study that is already underway, a research team at Mater are in the process of recruiting 300 families who have endured the stress brought on by the COVID-19 crisis, while being pregnant. 

Researchers are keen to understand how this once-in-a-lifetime pandemic impacts the families, the pregnancy and their babies to improve clinical practice and social support programs.

The Lott Managing Director Sue van der Merwe said the research would provide invaluable insights to support the future health and wellbeing of Queensland families.

“The start of 2020 has been incredibly disruptive and unpredictable for Queenslanders, but through the work of Professor Clifton and her team, learnings from this unprecedented time can help bolster the services and support families receive in the future,” she said.

“Lotteries first began in Queensland more than a century ago to help provide health facilities to Queenslanders. By supporting research such as this, our commitment through Golden Casket continues to this day.

“During the past 29 years, Golden Casket has provided $14.5 million to Mater’s research programs, which improve the health of Queenslanders at all stages of their lives. More than ever before, this investment in health research has never felt more crucial and beneficial.”