A self-proclaimed couch surfer with no fixed address has been revealed as Western Australia’s first Set For Life winner for 2017 after being gifted the winning ticket.
The woman, aged in her 40s, said she had been staying with friends after a tough 2016 saw her lose her house.
“I guess I’ll no longer be putting a dent in my friend’s sofa,” the woman said.
“In fact I can probably afford to buy her a new one,” she added.
The woman said although she planned on using a portion of the windfall to secure her own property, she had hoped to use part of it to help the community.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to win but now that I have I’d like to help people who, like me, have found themselves in a tough situation,” she said.
“I had support when I was down on my luck so I’d like to be able to return the favour,” she added.
The woman said with Telethon just around the corner she had also planned on making a sizeable donation to the charity.
“What goes around comes around,” the woman said.
“Not only am I set for life, but with $20,000 a month coming to me over the next 20 years I can afford to share the love,” she added.
Lotterywest spokeswoman Chloe Lawler said local punters would have another opportunity to win big on 2 September with the organisation’s $20 million Saturday Superdraw.
“Make sure you take advantage of our lucky streak and pick up your ticket today,” Ms Lawler said.
“You’ll be laughing all the way to the bank,” she added.
With one third of every dollar spent on Lotterywest products returned to the community, Ms Lawler said it was important to remember even if you didn’t have a win you helped WA have one of a different kind.
“Thanks to locals playing with Lotterywest, last financial year we were able to return $265 million to the State,” she said.
“That includes WA’s hospitals, sporting and arts and cultural groups as well as over 760 not-for-profit organisations and local government authorities,” she added.
Punters have until 6pm on 2 September to purchase a ticket in the $20 million Saturday Superdraw from Lotterywest in-store, via Play Online or by downloading the app.
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Media Enquiries: Chloe Lawler: 9488 6283/0447 431 278