A WOMAN says she hasn’t been able to sleep since scooping a massive £22million lotto jackpot – yet she didn’t even have to fork out for the ticket.
The stunned winner, from Melbourne, Australia, didn’t think to check her numbers straight away but was left god-smacked when they all matched.
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In an incredible display of luck, the woman bagged the eye-watering Powerball prize after being gifted the ticket before the draw last Thursday.
She said she is still trying to process her win and plans to split the cash with her family.
The multi-millionaire told The Lott: “I’m still shocked. I’ve barely slept since I discovered the win.
“It’s hard to put the feeling of knowing you’ve won $40million (£22m) into words. I don’t think it’s truly hit me yet.”
After being given the ticket as a present, the woman said it didn’t cross her mind to check her numbers – 15, 34, 5, 11, 28, 8, 27 – when they were first called out.
She added: “When I did check it though, I immediately called out to my family and they were just as shocked as I was.
“There were definitely plenty of cheers and tears.”
The lucky winner said she hopes to buy a house with the windfall and also travel to the US and Japan.
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She added: “You always wonder about what you would do if something like this were to happen, and now it has happened, I have no idea what to do.
“It’s such a blessing, but I need to really sit down and just process it now. It’s life-changing, and I just can’t believe it’s happened to me.”
The QuickPick ticket was bought at Sunshine Marketplace Lotto in Melbourne – and owner Yen Le-Mai has been celebrating by decorating the store.
She told The Lott: “I was oblivious to it until a friend of mine contacted me to congratulate me on selling the winning ticket.
“At that moment, I felt I’d personally won. I was so excited and overwhelmed by the news.
“It’s created such a buzz. All of our customers are so happy for us but are especially happy for their fellow customer who won.”
It comes after a bitter legal dispute erupted between a couple who ran a winning lottery syndicate and a man trying to claim a slice of the cash.
The lottery syndicate, run by newsagency owners Tania and Kevin Parkes, scooped a whopping £36million in the Australian draw.
Everybody in the syndicate was asked to provide proof of their ticket to get their winnings, but when Mark Ing arrived, the couple had no record of him taking part.
He insisted he had a ticket for the draw and tried to claim £150,000.
But the Parkes – who run multiple syndicates for different Lotto prize pools – said he had bought a ticket in another syndicate and was not entitled to the cash.
The couple, from Western Australia, are now fighting Mr Ing in court to stop him claiming part of the winnings.
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