Vic: Hunt on for Powerball winner

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Vic: Hunt on for Powerball winner

By Heather Gallagher

MELBOURNE, Aug 29 AAP - They say that lightning never strikes twice, but in the townof Bacchus Marsh, west of Melbourne, locals are queuing up at the local Tattslotto shopwhich just sold its second Division One Powerball winning ticket in just over a year.

A woman from Moorabool Shire, who wishes to remain anonymous, won $9 million in lastnight's draw with the winning numbers 9, 12, 13, 27, 5 and the Powerball 42.

In July last year, a local man in his 30s who worked in the building industry won awhopping $17.4 million after buying a ticket from the same shop.

Tatts shop owner Tracey Cullen said she already had a headache from the champagne she'dbeen drinking all day.

"We like big ones," Ms Cullen told AAP with a giggle, explaining that in between theFirst Division prizes there had been plenty of second division prizes at around the $80,000mark to keep business rolling in.

"They'll turn me into an alcoholic if they do (keep winning), this is the only time I drink."

The woman who won last night's draw has been playing Powerball since it started in May 1996.

In a statement issued by Tattersall's she said she played for fun but never thoughtshe would win.

"My husband has always thought I was lucky and he was sure one day I would win Powerball.

Now that I have, I don't know what to say, as it is so unreal," the woman in her 40s said.

"It is so much money for one person, I can't imagine what I'll do with all of it. Infact I don't know where I'll start. One thing is for sure, I will not get any sleep tonight."

Meanwhile, Ms Cullen is bracing herself for an even greater onslaught of the customthat followed last years win.

She said after that win people went out of their way to buy tickets from her shop,with sales still exceeding 1,000 tickets per day.

"We had a lady come all the way from the city to buy a ticket," she said.

"She'd driven all the way up because she'd heard about the $17 million and this iswhere she wanted to buy her ticket."

AAP hmg/dk/cjh/de

KEYWORD: TATTS NIGHTLEAD