Unemployed man from western Sydney wins $50 million in Powerball lottery

Megan Levy

Published: May 12 2017 - 8:43AM

An unemployed man from western Sydney said he and his wife were at home on Thursday night discussing their plans for the future when he received a phone call that would change their lives.

A few days earlier, the man, in his 30s, had bought a ticket for Thursday night's Powerball draw online. It was the first time he had done so, and he hadn't seriously contemplated the possibility of winning.

A few minutes after Thursday night's Powerball draw, he answered his phone, only to be told that he was the sole division one winner. He had scooped the entire $50 million prize.

The man, who wished to remain anonymous, thought someone was having a laugh.

"No. No. No. Don't tell me that. Are you serious man? I'll probably faint," the man said to the caller, according to NSW Lotteries.

"I don't know what to do. What should I do now? Should I call my mum? Should I hug my wife? What do I do?"

The size of his windfall also baffled him. "I don't even know how many zeros are in $50 million," he said.

The man said he had been unemployed since the end of last year, and he and his wife had just been contemplating what their struggling family would do next before he received the phone call. "We were just sitting discussing what to do with our lives next - what to do with our future. It's just a blessing I would say," he said.

Asked his initial thoughts on what he would do with the cash, he said he "genuinely wanted to help people".

He would share some with family and friends, and also hoped to open a restaurant to help those in need.

"I want to open a restaurant - that's my passion - and give 50 per cent of the food away for free to people who need it.

"I don't need profits, but there are homeless, students who are struggling, and people in need," he said.

This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/unemployed-man-from-western-sydney-wins-50-million-in-powerball-lottery-20170511-gw32wf.html