Matt Hart gets hung up on a lot. He’s been calling lottery winners for six years, telling someone on the other end of the line they’ve won a sum of money that could change how they spend the rest of their lives.
But most people don’t buy it.
“My very first call was fairly anticlimactic: they didn’t believe me, said they’d call the police if I called again, and hung up,” Hart said. “There’s a lot of disbelief, but there are certain things we can do to prove we are who we are.”
Three of the Lott’s callers (from left): Matt Hart, Anna Hobdell and James Eddy.
If you happen to be a lucky lotto winner, you can expect a few probing questions before the big reveal. The caller – typically one of the Lott’s four-person public relations team – will ask your name and request you read your numbers out, to confirm they’re speaking with the right person.
Once the winner’s identity is verified, they can deliver the script: “It’s my absolute pleasure to officially confirm that in (whatever game), and (whatever draw number), you were the division 1 winner, and you’ve won (whatever it is),” Hart or his colleagues will say.
It’s at that point the calls go in different directions. “You wait for the expletives or the screaming or the tears, or just the silence. And you wonder if they’re still there,” Hart said.
“We’ve had people [who have] actually dropped the phone in shock. People can have a really physical reaction. Their knees have gone, they’re shaking, their heart is racing.
“You know it means so much to them but they probably can’t verbalise too much, they’re just crying and sobbing. Others are really articulate – they say they will pay off my mum’s mortgage, or take the family to Greece for a holiday.”
There’s often more excitement among people who have won smaller amounts than the massive jackpots.
“With $10,000 or $20,000, you probably know what you’re going to do with it: a new car, going on holidays. The multi-million dollar prizes are so much money… I don’t think anyone has a complete shopping list for that amount,” Hart said.
‘We’ve had people [who have] actually dropped the phone in shock. People can have a really physical reaction. Their knees have gone, they’re shaking, their heart is racing.’
His most memorable call was to a Queensland woman who won $1 million. “She just started crying, which is not uncommon in itself, but you could tell there was something else there,” he said.
“She actually had terminal brain cancer, so you had this incredibly bittersweet moment. She saw it as incredible relief because it meant her husband could take time off work, and she knew her family would be looked after once she was gone.
“It’s not just about the money, but everything else happening in their life. They might not tell that many other people they’ve won, but they share with you their hopes and their dreams, really… It’s common to help your parents, or help your kids. It shows what matters most to people.”
James Eddy, another caller in the public relations team, says it’s one of the best jobs he’s had. “When you get to start your day telling people their lives have changed overnight, especially when they don’t realise and you’re the one giving them the news, it puts you in a great mood the rest of the day.”
He’s been able to call a grandfather in Victoria, who was working when the phone rang, to tell him he won $53.3 million. “There was a lot of swearing and shock in his voice. But when I spoke to him again a week later, he had retired his whole family – he immediately stopped working, his children stopped working, and their partners also went back to work for two days before deciding that was it as well,” Eddy said.
“He bought his grandson a puppy for Christmas, which he said he had really wanted to do but wasn’t sure he’d been able to. The idea was that everyone was going to be stress-free and live the life they always wanted to.”
Anna Hobdell, who’s been working at the Lott since 2021, has heard it all: people laughing, crying, screaming or going to the toilet when they find out the news.
“The most common reaction is disbelief. Most are ordinary Australians who don’t have $1 million sitting in the bank,” she said.
“Sometimes they think we’re scam callers and then they call back and apologise when they realise they’ve won. At the time you tell them, they don’t really believe it, until the money gets into the bank account.”
Hart said it’s a privilege. “It blows me away, to think it’s 7.30 in the morning, and I knew you were $30 million richer, but you didn’t. Whatever you thought you were doing with your day, or for the rest of your life, by 7.35am that has just completely changed,” he said.
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