1996. It was the year John Howard became Prime Minister, Atlanta hosted the summer Olympics, Dolly the Sheep was successfully cloned, and we were all doing the Macarena. 

It was also the beginning of an exciting game that would change the course of Australian lottery history forever, when on 23 May, a brand-new Thursday night draw was introduced across the country. At a time when the world was pushing new limits, new technologies, and new opportunities, Powerball launched onto the scene giving Aussies the chance to play by their own rules. 

This weekend we’re celebrating 24 years of Powerball in Australia. 

Across 1,252 Thursday night draws, players have had the chance to change it all and win big. Hundreds of millions of dollars in prize money has been won, records have been smashed, and new multi-millionaires made. 

And even after almost two and a half decades, Powerball shows no signs of easing up on the thrills anytime soon. 

Last year alone we saw:

  • 14 division one winning entries collectively take home over $541.8 million.
  • A new record set for the biggest ever individual lottery prize when a Sydney healthcare worker won a whopping $107 million.
  • And lottery history was made again when the jackpot soared to $150 million— Australia’s biggest ever jackpot offering. The incredible prize was won by three Aussies who scored $50 million each. 

From ear-piercing screams to stunned silence, we expect the unexpected when delivering the division one winning news to our Powerball winners. 

Just this month a Townsville couple were reduced to tears when they scored a $8.9 million dollar Powerball windfall.

Speaking with us after making her life-changing discovery, the winning woman couldn’t comprehend her and her husband’s sudden good fortune. 

“I’ve never even won a hanky before. Not one thing! We’ve never won anything,” she said tearfully. 

And in March this year a humble Port Macquarie man landed a massive $80 million Powerball jackpot and was overwhelmed to become Australia’s third biggest individual lottery winner! 

“This is huge for my family. We’ve been through a rough trot. We’ve been battling the drought for years and were affected by the bushfires earlier this year,” he told us. 

With endless possibilities ahead of him, the New South Wales man did say he had plans for one indulgence. 

“I’ll be able to upgrade my TV! I’ve always wanted a satellite TV to get better stations!” he laughed.  

Powerball’s 24th year is already shaping up to be a big one and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for Australia’s biggest jackpotting game — and for our future winners! 

Will one of them be you?