An Australian man has revealed how he almost did not answer the phone when he did not recognise the number of the lottery board ringing to tell him he had won the jackpot.

The unidentified man from the city of Sydney in New South Wales state said that when the phone started ringing, he had not recognised the number, and as he was nervous about getting a prank call, considered not answering it.

But then, at the last minute, he picked up the phone to discover it was from an Australia’s lotteries official, known locally as The Lott, telling him that he had skipped the AUD 100,000 (GBP 54,600) top prize in the Lucky Lotteries Super Jackpot draw 10765 on Wednesday, 29 March.

He is quoted in a statement obtained by Newsflash from The Lott as saying: “Oh my god! I thought this was a prank call! I can’t tell you how glad I am now that I answered.”

“I’m speechless! It’s incredible. I’ve been playing Lucky Lotteries for 10 years, but you never actually expect to win. I’ve always viewed it as a bit of fun.

“Wow! This is an absolutely life-changing event.”

He said he planned to use the money to considerably reduce the mortgage on the property was purchased and he was more than happy with that.

He added: “The timing of this couldn’t be better. I’m off to celebrate! What a day!”

His winning entry consisting of two random numbers was purchased online at thelott.com.