Four mates share in $60m win

Published: June 9, 2008 | 7158th good news item since 2003

FOUR Melbourne workmates have shared a powerball jackpot of almost $60 million after a spur-of-the moment decision over coffee to buy a ticket.

A member of the syndicate, who was not named, said he did not give his ticket a second thought the morning after the draw, but bought a newspaper after he heard his local suburb, Reservoir, mentioned on the radio.

“Although we don’t know yet what we are going to do with all this money, we aren’t going to be silly about it,” he said. “Two of us are single and two are married. I think we’ll invest most of the money and we’ll help some charities.”

They’ll share $58,737,207.41 – the biggest lottery win in Australian history.

Dean Schultz, the owner of the Lakeside Newsagency, where the winning ticket was sold, said he was stunned. “I got a call from Gerry Devine from Tattersall’s – and I know who he is – and I said: ‘I didn’t', and he said, ‘You did’.”

Mr Schultz said he took personal delight in selling the ticket. “It’s not as good as winning the money, obviously, but it’s the next best thing. Just to think what it will do for them – I’m rapt.”

NSW Lottery’s spokesman, John Vineburg, said there was “usually a long pause” when people heard they’d won. “Many people will say they’re going to pay off their house, and we’ll say: ‘OK, that will put a hole in a few hundred thousand, what about the other X million dollars?”

Tim Sanderson, from financial advice firm Count Financial, said the lucky winner could easily earn $3 million a year after investing the money.

“But the key is to prevent yourself spending all that money first. A lot of people will put the money into a 30-day term deposit so they can’t spend the money until they’ve seen an adviser,” he said.

Published in Sudden Wealth
See also: www.smh.com.au