There were crowds of devastated fans leaving the Gabba on Friday night, but Gillian Howard wasn’t one of them.

Her Brisbane Lions may have lost to reigning Premiers, Melbourne, but Gillian walked away the real winner on the night, pocketing a staggering $68,272 when she became the winner of our 50-50 Charity Raffle.

A group of 60 volunteers led the record-breaking effort raising funds for the Brisbane Lions Academy, with the fundraising figure climbing to a total of $136,544.

A Brisbane Lions member of over 20 years, and regular supporter of 50-50, Gillian was lost for words (with the exception of a few profanities) when she received the call during the third quarter from the grandstands.

The excited Lions member from the outer southwest of Brisbane said the charity raffle win couldn’t have come at better time. 

“I am a member and always look out for the 50-50 Charity Raffle volunteers every time I’m at the game because I know I’ll be supporting a great cause,” Gillian said.

“This news has come at a time when we really need it. My husband has just been diagnosed with prostate cancer and we’ll be using the cash to ensure an upcoming holiday is extra special.”

With plans to visit Iceland on the horizon, Gillian will now be flying business class.

The 50-50 Charity Raffle is a not-for-profit fundraising product operated by the 50-50 Foundation. The Foundation's aim is to raise significant funds for charities and good causes by partnering with sporting clubs and teams, event owners and charity partners to host fundraising raffles.

Giulia Coorey, Partnership and Operations Manager of the 50-50 Charity Raffle said it was exciting to see the cash prizes soar towards the end of the Brisbane Lions 2022 season.

“Brisbane Lions fans have gotten to know and love the 50-50 Charity Raffle over the past few years. We’ve been able to celebrate raffle wins with hundreds of winners just like Gillian, and give sports fans and the wider community help raise funds for a range of great causes.”

Half of the prize pool raised at each fundraising raffle goes to one lucky ticket holder who is drawn at random during the event. The remaining 50 percent goes directly towards charitable purposes.

Since partnering with 50-50 in the 2017 season, the Lions have raised a total of $514,061 for charities and hold consecutive records for the biggest prizes in Australia’s 50-50 history – in Round 21 the Lions helped raise $56,459, followed by the whopping $136,544 in Round 23.