Locals win $1.57M
By Deanne Jeffers
IT HAS been a winning week at Kialla’s newsXpress Riverside News, Lotto & Gifts, with the local outlet selling six of the 40 shares in a Victorian syndicate that pocketed $255,521.65 each from the $10M Powerball prize on Thursday, January 8, 2026.
On Monday, store owner Chris Georgeopoulos said he was delighted to learn the store had also sold a winning Division Two TattsLotto entry worth $12,545.35 on January 10, along with a Division Two Set for Life ticket on January 11, giving a lucky local $5,000 a month for a year.
Mr Georgeopoulos said it was fantastic to see so many wins coming through the Kialla store in such a short space of time.
“It’s been an incredible week for us. To sell a Powerball syndicate share, a Division Two TattsLotto win and a Division Two Set for Life ticket all in the same week doesn’t happen very often,” he said.
“I was honestly shocked when I started checking the emails — it felt like one win after another.
“One couple even came in asking if it was real. They thought it was a scam. I told them, ‘No, this is real,’ and they were over the moon. It’s taken a huge amount of pressure off them; that’s the best part of it.”
Mr Georgeopoulos said many of the winning entries were purchased locally and by regular customers, making the run of luck even more special.
Between Thursday and Monday, more than $1.57M was won through the three TattsLotto draws sold at newsXpress Riverside.
The Kialla outlet also held the highest number of shares in the winning syndicate, 100 PowerHits, which was established by Vic Market Lotto.
Syndicate members are not known to each other, with shares purchased at outlets across metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria. Some entries were not registered to a player card or online account, meaning several winners may still be unaware of their good fortune.
The winning numbers in Powerball draw 1547 on Thursday, January 8, 2026, were 16, 25, 17, 15, 27, 7 and 26, with the Powerball number 9.
The Lott has urged anyone who bought a syndicate share for the draw to check their ticket in-store, online or via The Lott app.
“A victorious group of Victorians have had a stellar start to 2026 by being part of this winning Powerball syndicate,” The Lott spokesperson Matt Hart said. “If you discover you’re holding a winning share, call The Lott on 131 868 to start the claim process.”
