Aussie man misses out on $424 million fortune over tiny detail
It was so near and yet so far for a 51-year-old Sydneysider, who missed out on a $424 million prize in Sunday's Italian Super Jackpot over one tiny detail.
The man from Neutral Bay, who wished to remain anonymous, picked every winning number except for one in The Lottery Office's weekend draw.
The winning numbers were: 3, 11, 14, 26, 67 and 82, while the man's numbers were: 3, 11, 14, 26, 67 and 19.
Thankfully not all was lost for the almost-millionaire.
Despite losing out on the massive prize, the man scored $23,000 as a division 3 winner in the draw, which has now hit a jackpot $432 million.
"I'm planning to invest in a celebratory bottle of Jameson," the man said in good spirits, adding that the $23,000 would still be an asset to his future.
The man said he had only been entering The Lottery Office's draws since last year after being attracted to the large jackpots.
The Italian Super Jackpot had been steadily accumulating since May 2021, The Lottery Office CEO Jaclyn Wood said, explaining that it matched Italy's SuperEnalotto.
"When Australians purchase tickets in our lotteries, we purchase a matching ticket in the overseas draw and when one of our customers win, we pay them the exact amount of the winnings we collect from the overseas lottery ticket," Wood explained further.
"Everyone dreams of winning big, so having the opportunity to benefit from these lotteries has incredible potential, regardless of which division our players win."
"International lotteries also have the potential to pay out significantly more than their minimum jackpots," she said.
Other almost-millionaires
In 2020, one Australian also came close to winning The Lottery Office's USA Mega Lotto and was just one number off the $500 million prize.
The year before, a Melbourne school teacher lost out on $2 million after getting five out of six numbers right. He did, however, manage to take home $1,100.
The Italian Super Jackpot is ongoing, with the multi-million-dollar prize still up for grabs.
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