Sydney man wins $40 million Powerball jackpot

The $40 million Powerball jackpot has gone off to one lucky ticketholder in Sydney's southwest.

The man from Fairfield was left "speechless" after being told he'd become an overnight multi-millionaire in Thursday night's draw, winning the whole amount for himself.

At first, the man ignored calls from The Lott and was then sceptical when told of his massive windfall, presuming it was a prank.

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"I didn't even know I had a ticket into tonight's draw until you called," the NSW resident, who remains anonymous, told lottery officials.

"I had a headache before, but now I'm not even thinking about that. I hope you keep putting a smile on people's faces like you've just put a smile on mine."

He told officials he'll need to "let it sink in" before deciding just what to do with the money but plans to pay off his house and use some of the money to help others.

"There's plenty of people that need help that I know of. That's the first thing I'll be doing," he said.

"Otherwise, we'll just have to see what happens and let it sink in. To be honest, I'm speechless, I don't know what to say!"

Last month two tickets claimed the record $200 million Powerball jackpot, walking away with $100 million each.

Then, just a week later, a Queensland woman walked away with $5 million after "an accidental purchase" of her ticket online.

There were 20 Powerball division-one winning entries worth more than $552.15 million across Australia last year.

If you need help with gambling you can get immediate assistance by calling the National Gambling Helpline on 1800 858 858 for free, professional and confidential support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.