Do you have the winning ticket?
In the countdown to Thursday's record-breaking $160 million Powerball draw, The Lott has revealed there are already winners out there who haven't claimed their prize - and the biggest one was purchased in Canberra.
The Lott says there are currently 25 unclaimed major lottery prizes across Queensland, New South Wales, the ACT, Victoria and Western Australia worth $22,284,117.66,
The biggest unclaimed prize is a Set for Life division one prize worth $4.8 million won in April last year from an entry purchased in Canberra.
The winning ticket was purchased at the Thistle Kiosk in Woden on April 8 in draw 2072.
Since none of the winning tickets were registered to a player card, lottery officials have no way of identifying or contacting the mystery winners and uniting them with their prizes.
The Lott spokesperson James Eddy urged Australian lottery players to search high and low for old tickets that had yet to be checked.
"We know that up to half of Australian adults will have an entry into this Thursday's Powerball draw, hoping to win the jackpot. But some Aussies have already won big, and their prize is just waiting to be claimed," he said.
"With millions in unclaimed major prizes just waiting to be taken home, there's millions of reasons to dig around the house, car, or even old shopping bags for potentially life-changing tickets.
"We've had winners come forward in the past having found an old ticket under the fridge, in the back of a drawer, or tucked away in the glovebox of their car.
"It could certainly pay to sweep the premises and search for any entries that may have wandered out of sight and mind.
"If you do discover an old ticket, be sure check it in-store or online to see if you're one of our elusive winners."
Anyone who believes they're holding a major prize winning ticket can contact The Lott on 131 868.
The amount of time players have to claim their prizes varies from state to state. In Queensland, people have seven years, while in New South Wales and the ACT it is six years.
Mr Eddy encouraged players to register their entries so they could be united with any prizes as soon as possible.
"For Aussies grabbing an entry and dreaming about winning this Thursday's $160 million Powerball draw, we suggest you register that entry to an online account or player card so that we can call you immediately should you win the jackpot!" he said.
"We'll be ready to dial the number of any division one winners on Thursday evening straight after the draw, but we can only do that if you've registered your entry and your details are up to date."
Powerball draw 1380 offering a $160 million jackpot closes at 7.30pm on Thursday.
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