Winning the lottery is the stuff of dreams. But for Anna Hobdell calling the winner is the next best thing.
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"It's so rewarding and I love every minute of it," The Lott spokesperson said.
For three years Ms Hobdell, who once worked at a newsagency, has called lucky Australians and heard about their hopes and dreams.
How Aussies react: dial tone to tears of joy
From stunned silence to screams of joy, people react to their lottery win in different ways.
"We often do have winners almost pass out, sometimes we wonder if they're still on the other end of the line and we've had times where we might have had to call triple zero but thankfully not yet," Ms Hobdell said.
One of the 24-year-old's favourite reactions was when a winner abruptly hung up the phone after they said they had to go to the bathroom immediately.
"They did have to go and we were just waiting for them to give us a call back," she said.
Many winners choose not to tell any family or friends about their prize money and instead confide in The Lott staff.
"It's hard when they've won and they just want someone to talk to and someone to debrief with and just talk about how exciting it is," Ms Hobdell said.
Ms Hobdell met the February 1 Powerball winner in person, a rare event.
"She couldn't really believe her life was about to change forever and $100 million was about to land in her bank account," Ms Hobdell said.
'Hello, are you there?' Plenty believe it's a scam call
On average lottery winners will hang up on Ms Hobdell four times a week believing it's a prank or scam call.
"Eventually they'll call back and they'll apologise profusely, it's just part of the job I guess!" she said.
What do lottery winners have on their shopping list?
It's the small ticket items that Australians mention first, Ms Hobdell said.
New teeth, a lawn mower, a Dyson vacuum, R.M William boots and a leather jacket are some items on Australians' wish lists.
"I find that the bigger winners when we speak to them, they can't really fathom that massive win... the smaller winners, it's a bit more tangible and they know what they would like to do."
A Victorian Set For Life winner, who won $20,000 a month for the next 20 years, decided to go on a spontaneous interstate dinner date.
"He just packed up his bags and went on the next flight to Adelaide and he took his wife to a really nice dinner just for a night and then flew back after the dinner," Ms Hobdell said.
Can lotto workers enter the draw?
Only officials and government regulators who participate in the draw are prohibited from entering, so Anna hopes to one day crack the jackpot too.
"I would love to hire a private chef for all those times, I thought I could try unique recipes and failed and almost burnt the house down," she said.
"So that's probably what I would do and then think about all the other exciting life-changing dreams."
The Brisbane woman also writes media releases about the anonymous lottery winners for The Lottery Corporation.
"My grandfather loved scratchies and he passed just before I got this job but I'm sure he would have loved hearing about me progressing in this type of role ... it's truly special."
Marlene Even
Journalist at the Illawarra Mercury. Previously a radio and podcast host at 2SER Radio.
Journalist at the Illawarra Mercury. Previously a radio and podcast host at 2SER Radio.
