Apart from mind-boggling good luck, there's one thing all division one lottery winners have in common — one humble brochure that gets mailed to every winner in Australia.

It means the mysterious document has only been seen by a select few Australians who have been fortunate enough to score a life-changing jackpot prize.

But a copy obtained by an Australian news website reveals a treasure trove of advice — including from previous winners themselves — buried within the pages.

"Congratulations! You're a winner!" page one of the coveted booklet reads.

"This is one of life's winning moments that you will never forget.

"We hope this prize allows you to make some of your long-held dreams a reality."

It goes on to explain the booklet contains information to help winners "make the most" of their good fortune and acknowledges that while major lottery wins are "indescribably exciting", they can also be "a little overwhelming at first".

It advises people not to "rush into any decisions" and to remember there is "always professional help available".

One previous winner quoted in the booklet said their biggest priority had always been not wasting their windfall, while another said they "still work" and budget as they always had — and that surprisingly, "nothing much has changed".

"I did get financial advice, and that was probably the most valuable thing I have ever done," the NSW winner revealed.

Other tips for managing the life-changing cash include setting a limit on how much to spend on "treats and new purchases" and exploring investment options such as term deposits, managed funds, property and superannuation.

The pamphlet also advises winners to carefully consider who they reveal their win to, and to decide if they were going to share it — and if so, how much — before telling others.

It also includes information on taxation, how to plan your spending, answers to frequently asked questions and a list of useful contacts.

But what actually happens the moment your lucky numbers are drawn?

The Lott spokeswoman Lauren Cooney explains exactly what comes next.

'Stunned silence'

Cooney has worked for Australia's Official Lottery provider, The Lott, for the past year and a half — and in that time, she has personally called winners who have scored a phenomenal combined total of more than $550 million.

The 27-year-old former journalist said it could take up to one hour after lottery numbers were drawn for officials to confirm a registered winner, and that division one winners of Monday, Wednesday or Saturday Lotto, Powerball, Oz Lotto and Set For Life games and first-prize winners of Lucky Lotteries were phoned by representatives who broke the good news.

Massive jackpot winners will be called the night of the draw, while others will be phoned the very next morning.

"We love seeing these jackpots shared — for example, with the $150 million jackpot last September it was amazing to see three people win that," Cooney said.

"Our ideal situation is when we reach out to them straightaway and break the news then and there, so they can go to sleep knowing they've won, that's what we love."

When a winning ticket is registered, lottery officials must follow a strict process to firstly confirm they are speaking to the rightful ticket holder.

"If the ticket is registered in your name but your husband answers the phone, we can't speak to him," she explained.

"We start by saying, 'Hello, I'm Lauren calling from The Lott, am I speaking to X?' If the person says yes, we need to then verify the ticket number before we go through the whole process.

"That's when people do get a bit sceptical, but if you are a registered player, we have all the details you've used to sign up as well as things like the exact type of ticket you bought, how many games, the numbers on the ticket, where you purchased it from and that kind of thing.

"Once we've gone through those steps and confirmed we're speaking to the right person, we break the big news. Especially when the person is at work, I'll say 'I think it's best that you find a private place', because we're conscious of breaking the news to people in privacy, and then I'll say 'in last night's draw you were one of X division one winners and you've won $X million'."

While you might expect people to swear, scream or faint, Cooney said the most common reaction was "stunned silence" and disbelief.

"It will often take quite a lot of convincing for them to believe they have won a division one prize — I might have to tell someone 10 times before they completely understand," she said.

Sometimes, the winner still doesn't believe their good luck with many believing they are being pranked or scammed.

"We tell them that our advice is they check their ticket, and of course they're going to be calling us back," Ms Cooney said.

Memorable moments

One of the most memorable reactions Cooney has encountered is when she called a winner who had just taken themselves to hospital after already checking the winning numbers online.

They became so excited by their win they were convinced they were having a heart attack, but luckily they were "completely fine".

But the best moment was when Cooney called Australia's record-breaking lottery winner — a Sydney mum in her 40s who scooped an incredible $107 million Powerball jackpot last January.

"She thought she'd won $107,000 and was so overwhelmed by that, and I'll never forget when she finally got her head around the fact it was $107 million," she said.

The woman, a healthcare worker, stunned Australians when she revealed at the time she would keep working in the industry she loved — and Cooney confirmed that more than a year later, the woman was still hard at work.

Cooney also broke Australia's second-highest lottery winner, a Sydney father who won $96 million last August.

"He was at work in an open plan office and I had to say, 'I strongly advise you to go in a meeting room somewhere quiet, because I have some big news for you'," she said.

When do you get your cash?

All online players who win a prize will have their cash automatically paid into their online Lott account, except division one winners who will have to wait two weeks.

But if you bought a physical ticket, you will need to fill out a prize claim form which can either be mailed to you by lottery officials, printed from The Lott's website or picked up in person from a newsagent.

Once the form is filled out, it must be mailed back to The Lott — along with the winning ticket — or dropped off in-person at a prize administration office in Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide or Melbourne.

"It's quite a simple process if you've got a physical ticket and it's pretty black and white, but if you've lost your ticket, then there's a big investigation process people can go through," Ms Cooney explained.

(Click to display full-size in gallery)Only a select few Australians will ever get their hands on this coveted, 10-page booklet — but trust us, you want to be one of them.

(Click to display full-size in gallery)All major prize winners will be sent this booklet, which includes anecdotes from previous winners as well as helpful advice.

(Click to display full-size in gallery)The Lott spokeswoman Lauren Cooney has personally called scores of winners.

Thanks to dannyct for the tip.