Powerball's $80 million ultimate prize on Thursday night

Australia will have to wait at least one more week before it could have its newest multi-millionaire after Powerball's draw didn't have a division one winner. The $80 million Powerball draw 1245 will take place on Thursday 26 March 2020.

For the sixth week in a row, no entry held all seven winning numbers and the Powerball number needed to deliver division one, so this Thursday, Powerball is offering a jackpot of $80 million but only if you can purchase the lucky winning ticket. Next week's $80 million draw is the sixth time in the game's 24-year history that a jackpot of this size has been up for grabs. Last year, Powerball delivered Australia’s biggest ever lottery jackpot of $150 million. So far this year, Powerball has only crowned one division one winner – a Caloundra woman who pocketed $60 million.

If there will be one $80 million Powerball winner, he will become the third biggest individual lottery winner in Australia. An $80 million jackpot prize has only been won once previously, back in 2009 when it was shared by two division one winning entries – one each from New South Wales and Victoria.

If you will be the lucky person holding the winning Powerball ticket and take $80 million jackpot prize, here are some things experts recommend to do to protect your jackpot:

The standard advice from experts is to sign the back of the winning ticket so that if you are separated from it, your signature can help ensure you still get the prize.

Experts say it’s best not to rush over to lottery headquarters the day you discover you’ve become one of the richest people in Australia. The Powerball winners get from three or six months to a year to claim their prize, depending on where the winning ticket was purchased.

Your first urge might be to share your exciting news with everyone. However, the fewer people who know, the better. This is the case even if you are able to claim your prize anonymously.

Before spending a dime, think about what your sudden wealth means. Instead of giving in to the temptation to buy big-ticket items right off the bat, give yourself time to process the magnitude of your win.

Largest Australian lottery prize history:

• On 1 March 2007, the Division 1 pool was $33 million.
• On 5 June 2008, the Division 1 pool was $58,737,207.41;
• On 30 July 2009, the Division 1 pool was $80 million, the largest Australian Powerball pool until August 2018.There were two Division 1 winners in the drawing.
• On 21 August 2014, the Division 1 pool was $70 million. Two winners won 35 million each.
• On 28 May 2015, the Division 1 pool was $50 million, won by a single ticket.
• On July 23, 2015, the Division 1 pool was $50 million, won by a single ticket.
• On January 7, 2016, the Division 1 pool was $70 million, won by a single ticket.
• On January 11, 2018, the Division 1 pool was $55 million, won by a single ticket.
• On August 16, 2018, the Division 1 pool was $100 million, it was split between two winners.
• On July 18th, 2019, the Division 1 prize was $110 million, won by tree tickets.