When a woman from West Busselton in Western Australia and her husband decided to check the ticket, they were looking after their grandchildren, the Busselton-Dunsborough Times writes. The numbers she had been playing were her late father's favourites, and they had won her a Division One prize in Saturday Lotto worth A$2.2 million. By her account, the first celebration was Chinese food.
Playing on in her father's honour
According to Yahoo News Australia, she only started playing after her father died, taking up the weekly ritual he had kept with his favourite numbers, in his honour. He had played them faithfully for years. She told lottery officials that those numbers never brought him a significant win, and that he would have loved knowing they had won.
From a September Superdraw to a family steak night
The ticket was bought in West Busselton, the Busselton-Dunsborough Times reports, and that points to Saturday 5 September 2026 and the A$20 million Saturday Lotto Superdraw. That night, Lotterywest reported two Division One winners in Western Australia. The winning numbers are in the full results for that draw.
Soon after, Lotterywest said the two WA tickets, one sold in West Busselton and the other in Eaton, were each worth A$2.2 million. It counted them among three major prizes on tickets sold in regional WA whose winners had yet to come forward, and urged players who had bought tickets at the outlets involved to check their numbers. By 13 October 2026, when Yahoo News Australia published her story, she had spoken to lottery officials.
The celebrations she described, as relayed by Yahoo, revolve around family: after the Chinese food, probably fish and chips, then a big family steak night.
Bathroom renovations, and the grandchildren
Yahoo News Australia reports that the couple can now pay for bathroom renovations and keep supporting their family, with the winnings going towards helping their children and grandchildren. She said the happiness of their children and grandchildren is all that matters to them.
What Lotterywest's spokesperson said about carers
The winner is a full-time carer, and that is where Lotterywest spokesperson Nikki Wilson-Smith took the story. As reported by Yahoo News Australia, Ms Wilson-Smith called it a fitting reminder of the role carers play in families and communities across Western Australia. She said the couple had spent years caring for others, their children and grandchildren among them, and, pointing to National Carers Week, said it was wonderful to see the win go to the two of them.
It's tempting to read something into a late father's numbers coming up in a Saturday Lotto Superdraw. Each draw is random, though, and for any one set of numbers Division One is a genuine long shot. What made these numbers meaningful was whose they were, and the weekly habit she kept up in his memory. The game's rules and recent draws are on the Saturday Lotto results page.
For years they were his numbers, played week after week. Now they are hers, and the couple can put what they won towards bathroom renovations and helping their children and grandchildren.
Play for fun, within a budget you set in advance. If gambling is no longer fun, free and confidential support is available 24/7 from Gambling Help Online on 1800 858 858.
Always confirm winning numbers, prize amounts, and deadlines with the official operator before acting on a ticket — the operator's published results are the only ones that count.
Sources
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Lotterywest, 5 September 2026 — Two WA players celebrate in Saturday Lotto Superdraw
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Lotterywest, 10 September 2026 — Regional WA's mystery millions: Three major lottery prizes still unclaimed
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Yahoo News Australia, Carly Bass, 13 October 2026 — Aussie woman wins $2.2m Lotto using late dad's lucky numbers
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Busselton-Dunsborough Times, Troy de Ruyter, 13 October 2026 — Saturday Lotto: Busselton carer wins $2.22 million jackpot using late father’s lucky numbers
