17/06/1997 PIRATE: Tattslotto numbered balls. Lottery. Gambling. Lotto. Tatts.

Lotto has revealed this year’s hot spots and it looks as though Victoria is the luckiest state.

Statistics released by Lotto revealed between December 1 2015 and November 30 2016, there were 503 division one prizes, equating to more than $971 million, won by Australians.

There were 156 division one winners in Victoria, with more than $244 million handed out across the state.

According to Lotto, there were less winners in NSW, but they won a lot more money. In past year, $268 million was handed out in division one money.

The biggest sum given out in the last year was a $70 million Powerball prize, which was won by a Queenslander from Pialba in Hervey Bay in January.

The places where people were most likely to win the lotto were Melbourne, Sydney, Gladstone and Boyne Island in Queensland, Cloverdale in Western Australia and Findon in South Australia.

“Reflecting back on the year, there’s certainly a number of division one winning stories from 2016 that have really resonated with people,” Tatts Group Lotteries spokeswoman Elissa Lewis said.

“We kicked off the year with a big lotto bang when after seven weeks of jackpotting the mind-blowing $70 million Powerball prize was won in the Queensland suburb of Pialba by Hervey Bay grandparents.

“After six missed calls following the draw, the couple finally twigged that it was Golden Casket phoning about their staggering windfall and couldn’t believe their luck.”

The grandparents said the best thing they ever won was a chook raffle.

“We’ve always been mindful of money, and skimped and saved where we could. We don’t get tempted to buy the cream puffs. But we won't have to be frugal anymore — I can toss out all those specials catalogues,” the grandparents said.

“We haven’t done much travel in our lives, but now we’re off. You won’t see us around here for long.”

After the grandparents won the powerball, a man with young children from Adelaide Hills in South Australia won Australia’s first Set for Life prize and will be given $20,000 every month for 20 years.

A man from a coastal NSW town found out he won $30 million in Oz Lotto after NSW Lotteries tried to contact him for two weeks.

“I’m gobsmacked at the moment. I’ve got butterflies in my stomach,” he said at the time.

“It’d be just my luck that I’d have a heart attack on the way home or get cleaned up by a truck.

“I’ll pay off my debts, maybe buy a new car and some big boys toys, and I’d like to travel.”

After a three-day search for a $40 million Oz Lotto prize winner in May, a married couple from Victorian dairy farming town Leongatha were found.

“It’s always been our plan that if we won the lottery, even $1 million, that we would share the money with many good causes. And now that plan has just grown a bit bigger. Giving some back is what we’re all about — we fully believe in that,” the couple said.

“The biggest change for us after winning will be being able to retire and not being under the clock. It’s amazing what you can do with more time to enjoy the things you love.”

Ms Lewis said just because Victoria sold more winning tickets, it didn’t mean people from other states had less of a chance of winning.

“It’s exciting to reveal where the most lotto wins occur, but it’s important to remember that lottery games are entertaining games of chance and every number on your ticket has an equal chance of being drawn, no matter where you buy your ticket,” Ms Lewis said.

The next big prize will be the $31 million NYE Megadraw on December 31.

Winning that would be the best way to ring in the new year.