The identity of Australia's mystery $100million Powerball winner has become the worst-kept secret in one NSW town, where residents are convinced they've worked out who is sitting on the staggering fortune.
The jackpot was scooped by a woman from Ballina on October 15, after she snapped up a last-minute $18.90 ticket online and became the only person in Australia to match all eight winning numbers.
While the lucky winner has not been publicly identified, that hasn't stopped residents from trying to solve the mystery, with rumours sweeping through the close-knit community about who is sitting on the life-changing windfall.
A local couple are the centre of the town's growing speculation.
He is described as a prominent figure, while his long-term partner, the presumed buyer of the winning ticket, is apparently known for her fondness for bingo.
'Someone saw them dressed up to the nines,' one local said. 'Apparently they put a load of money behind the bar at the pub.
'They were also seen in the butcher's splashing some cash. I heard Wagyu steaks were on the menu that night.'
A second person told the Daily Mail: 'One of the kids or grandkids put it on Facebook.
The identity of Australia's $100million Powerball winner has become the worst-kept secret in one NSW town, where residents are convinced they know who is sitting on the staggering fortune. (Pictured: an aerial view of Ballina; the suspected winner's home is not shown)
Daily Mail reporter Jonica Bray spoke with the bingo-loving grandmother locals say bought the winning ticket, after 'one of the kids or grandkids' allegedly revealed the prize on Facebook
This week, the Mail's Jonica Bray spoke with Ballina locals about the whispers tearing through town that a local grandmother bought the $100million ticket
'It got deleted pretty quick, but it's all anyone is talking about now.'
But it's not just residents who believe they have cracked the mystery. Even some of the couple's loved ones are convinced they are in line for a little cash injection.
'Everyone knows it's them,' a family member told the Mail.
'But they are trying to keep it quiet because they have been told they should.
'That's what I was told, but it wasn't by them personally. I don't want to ring them and ask. They will tell us when they are ready.'
One half of the couple has been described as a respected community leader. His partner is noted for her enthusiasm for the online game Bingo Blitz and is said to be a regular poster in the online forums dedicated to it.
The winner, whose identity remains undisclosed, told lottery officials she believed the jackpot was a sign from a recently departed loved one.
'We recently had a death in the family, and I think it's a sign from them; they're so looking after me,' she was quoted as saying in a Lott press release.
A local couple (not pictured) are the centre of the town's growing speculation. The Mail spoke with locals this week about the town gossip - many identified the same woman as the winner
The Big Prawn is one of Ballina's most famous tourist attractions. This week, the town is just as famous for one of its residents winning Australia's biggest ever lottery
'We've had signs all day from them; things moving, cans moving, bags waving in the wind.'
Locals say that detail has only strengthened their suspicions about the couple.
A mate noted that a family member of the suspected winning couple died last month and a funeral was held prior to the lottery win.
'[He] did the speech at the funeral and [she] wrote a poem. They were close, so that's who they are talking about [in the press release],' the friend speculated.
But the couple at the centre of the speculation have a very different story to tell.
'Not me, darling,' the man told the Daily Mail from the housing commission home where he has lived for well over a decade.
'We didn't win it. Honest to God, we didn't win anything. We probably wouldn't be here if we had.'
'We wouldn't be here if we won that money a week ago,' added the woman.
'We'd be away somewhere. We'd be on holiday.'
When pressed about the town's suspicions, including the coincidence involving a recently deceased loved one, the woman looked surprised before glancing over at her partner.
She then accused those spreading the rumours of 'lying', insisting it was '100 per cent not us'.
The man even suggested the real winner might be living nearby.
A Ballina woman from Northern NSW is $100million richer after winning Thursday night's Powerball jackpot. (Stock image supplied by The Lott posed by models)
The lucky winner was surrounded by loved ones when informed of her life-changing windfall
'Go across the road and ask them. Maybe they won it,' he said.
Despite their emphatic denials, one family friend said he doesn't believe it for a second and had already congratulated the man in person.
The friend said the man denied the win but he had expected that response.
'They would say that, wouldn't they?' he said.
'They have been given in-depth privacy training, which is something they offer to all big winners.
'The advice is not to tell people, not to make impulsive decisions and to spend quietly over the first few months. I looked it up; there was a booklet online.'
According to figures published by The Lott, while 64 per cent of winners tell their immediate family, only around 9 per cent tell their broader family, and just 3 per cent tell people outside the family.
Even spending their fortune can leave lottery winners worried about what others think.
A survey of 420 Swedish winners found most avoided discussing their spending for fear of appearing showy, while earlier Finnish research found some bought more modest cars than they wanted or could afford to keep a low profile.
And whatever the truth behind the Ballina rumours, there are certainly no obvious signs of a $100million windfall at the couple's home.
There are no flashy new cars in the driveway, no lavish overseas holidays and no apparent spending spree.
Almost three weeks after the draw, they're still driving their old car and shopping at their local Coles, just as they always have.
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