I think it's me
There are moments when chance folds back on itself in ways that defy all reasonable expectation, and a Perth man in his sixties has lived two of them. Eleven years after winning $3 million in a syndicate draw, he has claimed a further $1.8 million from a Saturday Lotto Superdraw — beating odds estimated at 24 trillion to one. He played the same family birthdays he has trusted for years, at the same local newsagency, and now finds himself standing at the threshold of a retirement he had not planned to reach so soon. Some stories remind us that probability, for all its authority, occasionally steps aside.
- The odds of winning Lotto twice in a lifetime are 24 trillion to one — and a Perth man in his sixties has just done exactly that, claiming $1.8 million eleven years after a $3 million syndicate win.
- He discovered the win quietly on a Saturday night, checking numbers online, then walked into his local newsagency on Monday morning and calmly told the stunned shopkeeper: 'I think it's me.'
- Unlike the first windfall — spent modestly on holidays, debt, and the children — this second prize has shifted something deeper, prompting plans for an earlier-than-expected retirement.
- There is one unresolved thread: his wife does not yet know, and since she doubted him the first time, he intends to arrive home with the presentation cheque already in hand — proof that lightning has struck twice.
The odds are said to be 24 trillion to one. A Perth man in his sixties has beaten them — not once, but twice.
On a Saturday night, he checked his numbers on the Lotterywest website and found he was holding a winning ticket worth $1.8 million from the Saturday Lotto Superdraw, purchased at Palmyra Supa News, the same south-of-the-river newsagency where he has shopped for years. When he walked in on Monday morning, the newsagent asked what he was doing there mid-week. He smiled and said he thought the winner might be him.
Eleven years earlier, in 2015, he had won $3 million as part of a syndicate. He used it carefully — a holiday, some debt cleared, help for his children — and kept living much as before. This second win feels different. For around eight years, he has played the same numbers: combinations drawn from his parents' and family's birthdays, used weekly in a syndicate and on Superdraw weekends when the jackpots swell. The winning numbers were 22, 14, 6, 21, 9 and 3. His patience, it turns out, had not run out.
This time, he is thinking about retirement — a transition he had not expected to reach so soon. 'After this win, enough is enough,' he said. 'I'm going to enjoy my retirement with my wife.'
There is one detail still unresolved: his wife does not yet know. She was sceptical the first time, so he plans to collect the presentation cheque before telling her — to walk through the door holding something undeniable, proof that the impossible has happened to the same man twice.
The odds of winning the lottery twice in a lifetime are said to be 24 trillion to one. A Perth man in his sixties has just beaten them.
On Saturday night, he checked his numbers on the Lotterywest website and found himself holding a winning ticket worth $1.8 million from the Saturday Lotto Superdraw. He had bought it at Palmyra Supa News, south of the river, the same newsagency where he has been a regular customer for years. He was the first of three Division One winners to claim his prize.
Eleven years earlier, in 2015, this same man had won $3 million as part of a syndicate in a $30 million draw. At the time, he used the money sensibly: a holiday, paying down debt, helping his children. It was a windfall that changed things, but not dramatically. He kept working, kept living much as he had before.
When the newsagent saw him walk in on Monday morning, the conversation was almost casual. "What are you doing here on a Monday?" the newsagent asked. "Did you know we had a winner?" The man smiled. "I do actually," he replied. "I think it's me."
This second win feels different to him. He has been playing the same numbers for about eight years—combinations drawn from his parents' full birthdays and the birthdays of his immediate family. He plays variations of these numbers weekly in a syndicate with friends, and he buys tickets when the jackpots grow large or during Superdraw weekends. The winning combination was 22, 14, 6, 21, 9, 3, with supplementary numbers 38 and 20. After more than a decade of playing, his patience had paid off again.
With this second prize, his plans have shifted. He is thinking about retirement now—a transition he had not expected to make so soon. "When I won 11 years ago, we took a holiday, cleared some debt and helped out the kids," he said. "This time, I'll be able to transition into retirement sooner than I had planned. After this win, enough is enough. I'm going to enjoy my retirement with my wife."
There is one complication: his wife does not yet know. The last time he won, she did not believe him immediately. This time, he has decided to collect the presentation cheque first, to have proof in hand before he tells her. He wants to walk through the door with something tangible, something that cannot be dismissed as a mistake or a misunderstanding. He wants to show her that lightning, impossibly, has struck twice.
Citas Notables
When I won 11 years ago, we took a holiday, cleared some debt and helped out the kids. This time, I'll be able to transition into retirement sooner than I had planned.— The Perth man
I haven't even told my wife yet—last time she didn't believe me, so I thought I'd come and collect the presentation cheque and show her that.— The Perth man
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
What made him keep playing after the first win? Most people would stop.
He says he didn't play for a while after 2015, but he came back to it. The big jackpots drew him in, and he joined a syndicate with friends. It became part of his routine, not desperation.
And the numbers—he's been playing the same combinations for eight years?
Yes. Family birthdays. His parents' full dates, his kids' dates. It's personal. Not random. That matters to him.
Do you think he'll actually stop now?
He says he will. "Enough is enough." But people who win twice have already proven they're willing to play. I'd guess he keeps the syndicate going, at least.
What strikes you most about this?
That his wife doesn't know yet. He's collecting the cheque first because she didn't believe him last time. He needs proof. That's the real story—not the odds, but the marriage, the need to be believed.
Will she believe him this time?
Hard to argue with a presentation cheque.