Australian man nets $46m in Oz Lotto after accidentally buying two winning tickets

An Australian man is busy counting more than $46m (US$33m) after winning division one in Oz Lotto – twice.

The man, from St Albans in Melbourne, had forgotten he had two entries in Tuesday’s $70m (US$50m) draw, each marked with the same numbers.

“I’m speechless. I can’t believe it,” he told officials, who alerted him to his double bounty.

Both tickets had the same marked numbers which he’d been playing for 30 years. He bought the tickets separately at two different outlets in Melbourne.

“I play every week. I have always marked my entries, but I have never chosen the numbers on anything in particular. They weren’t special before, but they are now,” he said.

The man had knocked off work when he discovered his unusual win. He said he was planning to share his winnings with family, but had to think about what to spend it on.

“I might think about retiring. First maybe a new home or a holiday,” the winner said.

Oz Lotto spokeswoman Bronwyn Spence told the Age: “When we reached out to the division one winner from Melbourne to let him know he’d won this massive prize he was completely oblivious to the fact he’d won not once, but twice.

“Quite remarkably, the Melbourne man didn’t realise he’d bought two entries, he thought he’d bought an entry for a different lottery draw. But because he marks his entries, he marked them with the same numbers that came out of the barrel tonight which meant he won division one twice.”

She estimated the winner’s three-decade lottery ticket habit would have cost him around $30,000 (US$21,000).

Another mystery winner netted more than $23m (US$16.5m) in the draw, after buying a ticket in Hobart. The unregistered ticket was sold at Hobart City Lotto at Argyle Street, but the winner cannot be contacted.

An Oz Lotto spokeswoman urged players to check their numbers.