$25 Million Powerball Jackpot Won in Connecticut
One lucky ticket in Connecticut (1) matched all 6 numbers Saturday and won the $25 million jackpot. The holder(s) of the winning ticket will now have to decide to either take the 29-year, 30-installment annuity, or the one time cash “lump sum” amount of $12,506,253.

Other big winners included 3 tickets sold in Arizona (1), Florida (1), and Missouri (1) that matched all 5 white ball numbers for a $200,000 cash win each. There were a total of 520,749 additional winning tickets in America’s Game Saturday evening. Those winners won prizes totaling $4,624,590.

$88.1 Million Winner Comes Forward in North Carolina
It was the luck of the draw in more ways than one for Jeff Wilson of Kings Mountain. Little did he know that when his father fanned out several Powerball tickets in front of him that the ticket he chose would wind up making him a millionaire.

People all across the state and especially in Kings Mountain where the ticket was purchased have been abuzz wondering who may be holding the $88.1 million winning Powerball ticket. Wilson and his family arrived at North Carolina Education Lottery (NCEL) headquarters to be introduced to the public.

After NCEL executive director Tom Shaheen congratulated Wilson and presented him with the giant ceremonial check, Wilson recounted his windfall story. “My dad will sometimes buy tickets and let my sister, brother and me choose one that is ours,” Wilson said. Wilson’s ticket was a Quick Pick (computer generated) ticket and the numbers were drawn in the June 20 Powerball drawing. The jackpot for the drawing was $88.1 million. He has elected to take the lump sum cash payment of $42.4 million. The 27-year old told NCEL officials that he is uncertain about what he will do with the money. “I didn’t believe my dad when he told me that I had won and I think I’m still in disbelief,” Wilson said. When asked what he thought may be his first purchase he said, “Maybe a house or a car." Wilson added that the money will also be helpful for when he attends graduate school in the fall. Wilson’s father purchased the ticket at the Petro Express on Cleveland Avenue in Kings Mountain.

Other lucky big winners Saturday night included 3 tickets sold in Nebraska (1), Connecticut (1), and Tennessee (1) that matched all 5 white numbers with the Power Play and won $1 million cash each. This was a result of the new Power Play feature that turns any match 5 white ball win with the Power Play into a 5X multiplier and pushes the prize up to $1 million cash! Nine other lucky tickets in Colorado (1), Iowa (1), Indiana (1), Minnesota (1), Missouri (2), North Carolina (1), Pennsylvania (1), and South Dakota (1) matched all 5 white ball numbers without the multiplier for a sensational $200,000 cash win on each. In addition, 639,426 tickets across the nation won a total of $9,294,099 in prizes.

North Carolina Friends win $200,000 with Powerball!
A dinner outing and an unplanned purchase afterwards led to a $200,000 Powerball prize for Christina Horgan of Concord and Amy Horgan of Carolina Beach. They had just finished eating when they decided to walk to the nearby Islander Kwik Mart in Kure Beach to get a Powerball ticket for the May 16 drawing. They matched all 5 white balls that evening. The Horgans say that their split prize will enable them to do more traveling!

78 Minnesota Co-Workers Share $200,000 Powerball® Prize
A group of 78 people (76 co-workers from HiRel Systems in Marshall plus two family members) shared a $200,000 Powerball prize from the May 16 drawing. The win comes at a good time for everyone, since the manufacturing company recently cut most employees’ schedules down to 30 hours per week in April due to the sluggish economy.

The group has been pooling their money for Powerball tickets for a couple of years, buying tickets when the jackpot reaches more than $50 million. Each group member contributes $1 per drawing ($2 per week) toward the pool. For Saturday’s drawing, group member Virginia Schulte bought 88 tickets using the money from the pool plus $10 in winnings from the previous drawing.

After checking the winning numbers the following morning, Schulte discovered one set of numbers matched the first five winning white ball numbers. “I had no idea how much we won. I thought it was around $100 or $200,” Schulte said. After calling her brother, who is an avid Powerball player, Schulte discovered its true worth — $200,000!

Group member Denise Vierstraete made the announcement to the group members on Monday morning through the intercom so everybody found out at the same time. “Everyone just screamed,” recalled Schulte. “They went wild!” Each group member received a check for approximately $2,564 (before the required tax withholdings). Schulte says a lot of the group members plan to use their winnings to pay bills, put it toward savings, or for home improvement projects.

South Dakota Man Wins 9th Largest Powerball Jackpot of $232 Million
Neal Wanless of rural Mission today claimed the 9th largest Powerball jackpot won in the history of the multi-state lottery game. The 23-year-old rancher appeared with South Dakota Lottery officials at an award ceremony in Pierre after claiming the $232.1 million he won in the May 27 drawing. Wanless chose to receive the jackpot as a one-time cash prize of $118,005,530. The jackpot- winning numbers represent the day and month of family members' birthdays. The lucky combination was the fourth of five plays on a $5 ticket. The winning ticket was purchased at the Ampride store in Winner. Wanless and his family stop at the store when they make the 35-mile trip to Winner to buy feed. The store will receive a $50,000 bonus for selling the lucky ticket.

On the night of Wednesday, May 27, Neal joked with his parents, Arlen and Nancy, about his Powerball tickets and needing to drive to Pierre the next day "to deposit a big check". He didn't discover until the next morning that the whimsical remark would prove foretelling. Neal checked the Lottery's Web site for the winning numbers on Thursday morning. He first checked the Powerball number, knew it matched a play on the ticket, and checked the white ball numbers. Then he sat and stared at the computer screen. "I was in shock," he said. "I don't remember what I said." His dad remembers. "He whispered real quiet 'we won,'" Arlen said. The rest of that day is somewhat of a blur for the family. They told a few friends and family, and contacted the Lottery to figure out what needed to be done next. "It's just something you don't believe could happen to you," Nancy said. The excitement of winning affected them differently that first night. "I slept just fine," Neal said. "We didn't," Arlen replied, as he and Nancy laughed. They all agree that the experience has been both fun and a bit nerve-racking.

Since then, Neal has kept busy working on the family ranch, some 11 miles east of Mission. A tractor needed to be picked up from the shop, a baler fixed, and other preparations made to put up hay in coming days. That's just what Neal intends to continue doing. Ranching, he says, is something he's always dreamed of doing. "I just want to go home and ranch and ride horse and check cows." But, he says he's also dreamed of doing it on a little bigger ranch. While out riding his horse, Eleanor, recently he'd thought to himself, and remarked to Eleanor, that "It'd be nice if we could go for a longer ride than usual on a bigger ranch of our own."

Oklahoma man wins $30,000 with Power Play!
Jason Mitchell from Oklahoma City would have won $10,000 but instead, for an additional dollar, he added Power Play to his purchase and tripled his winnings. Out of the six $10,000 winners from the Wednesday night, May 27th draw, Mitchell was the only one who added Power Play to win $30,000.

“My dad encouraged me to play,” Mitchell said. “He even helped me fill out the playslip.” Mitchell purchased his winning ticket at Shop Savings, in Oklahoma City and used the numbers of his birth date. For now, he doesn’t have any definite plans on how he will use his winnings.

Bowling Night Strikes it Rich for Idaho Couple, $200,000 Powerball Ticket Claimed
On Wednesday night, May 27, Mark and Mary Ann Cecotti headed off to Burke's Valley Bowl in Caldwell for a night out on the bowling lanes. Before each draw, Mark usually picks up a Powerball ticket, but the previous Wednesday night he forgot.

The long-time pair, married 28-years, passed a couple of other Lottery retail locations on their way to Burke's. Each time they passed a store, Mark said they should stop, but Mary Ann told him they could get their ticket at the bowling center since they sold Lottery there. Once they arrived at Burke's, Mark went and bought two tickets for the Powerball draw, one for him and one for his wife. "I was only going to buy one, but after someone else bought one, I decided to get a second one," explained Mark. "I really only planned on buying just the first ticket."

He took the tickets back to Mary Ann and dangled them in front of her teasingly, asking which one she wanted. "I picked the one that had 23 and 31 on it. They were family birthday numbers," said Mary Ann whose ticket not only matched those two numbers, but also matched the 30, 35, and 42 and turned her ticket into a $200,000 winner! "I guess we bought it at the right store at the right time." "This is exciting!" exclaimed Darlene Burke, proprietor of Burke's Valley Bowl where the winning ticket was sold. "They are great. They come in regularly and our players are very loyal. She is a super nice woman. I am thrilled for her and thrilled for us!" "It's official, wow!" added Mary Ann when she was handed the winning check. "This is going to be really great for the two us."

Player wins $1 Million on Power Play in North Carolina
Eric Trevor Williams kissed his Powerball ticket when he bought it, and it earned him a million smackers. The Gastonia man realized he won in the May 20 Powerball drawing when his father called the Player Hotline to get the numbers. Williams then called the hotline himself to double check. His ticket did indeed match all five white balls and was worth $1 million since he’d Power Played.

Williams bought his winning ticket at Gasland USA on Dixon Boulevard in Shelby. “It’s a good cushion to live life with,” said Williams who started shaking from excitement when he saw his check. The general contractor says he plans to continue working, meet with a financial advisor, and purchase a BMW.

Missouri Lottery Winner Says She Defied the Odds
Deanna Richman of Centralia never expected to win a $10,000 Powerball prize. “I’m an ovarian cancer survivor,” she said. “So I always joked that I could never win the lottery, too.” But that’s exactly what happened when a Powerball ticket her husband, Lynn, purchased at 22 Drive Thru, 889 E. Highway 22 in Centralia, matched four white-ball numbers and the Powerball number in the May 20 drawing – a feat that earned the curriculum director for the Centralia R-VI School District a $10,000 prize.

She said her husband routinely checks the couple’s Powerball tickets at Molottery.com and followed the same routine on May 21, following the Wednesday night drawing. When he reached his wife by phone to share the surprising news, Richman said she wasn’t quite sure what to think. “I said, ‘You’ve got to be lying,’” she began. “And he said, ‘Do you think I’d lie about something like this?’” “He told me we should invest it in the stock market,” she recalled with a laugh. Noting the volatile market, she told him, “Don’t do anything until we talk!”

Indiana Player wins $1 Million with Power Play!
Robert Doane of LaPorte won $1,000,000 in the Saturday, May 16th Powerball drawing after purchasing the Power Play option. "I always play Power Play!" said Doane. "This is all still a blur to me." Doane is a casting technician at Alcoa-Howmet in LaPorte, where he has worked for 35 years. His wife, Debbie, works at nearby Aero Metals. "I actually found out I was a winner at work," said Doane. "My boss was there when my wife texted the winning numbers to me and I told him 'I think I hit!'" Doane's boss told him to "get out of there" and go claim his prize. Doane's wife, daughter Tracy and granddaughter Jenny accompanied him to Hoosier Lottery Headquarters to claim his prize. "This will be a memory she won't forget," said Doane, speaking of his granddaughter. "I'm just numb. This is a total surprise."

The LaPorte County resident's quick pick numbers matched all five white numbers with the Power Play option to win the $1,000,000 cash. His winning ticket was purchased from Family Express #20 on East US Hwy 20 in Rolling Prairie. The family has some work they'd like to do on their home. "I have two daughters," said Doane. "They both will get a house and my best friend, Blaine Schultz, will get one hundred thousand." Doane made an agreement with his friend years ago that if one of them ever won the Lottery, they would share the winnings. The two have been friends for 22 years. "He's the best," said Doane.

Rhode Islander $10,000 Richer with Powerball
Joan Hallahan recently claimed a $10,000 Powerball prize from the May 13 drawing at Rhode Island Lottery headquarters. The lucky Warwick winner said she did not tell her three sons of her big win, but did have her picture taken to go on the game monitors so her sons will see it randomly one day and be surprised. According to the winner, the money will be used for paying bills. She bought her winning ticket from Dan’s Convenience Store, on Post Road in Warwick.

Tennessee Siblings Celebrate $1 Million Power Play Win!
A hard day of yard work almost kept Covington resident Mildred Pullen from a long-held family routine – purchasing weekly Powerball tickets with her brothers Tom Pullen and Lee Davison and Lee’s wife Lynda. Luckily for the siblings—who won $1 million by using Powerball’s Power Play—“Millie” didn’t let fatigue stand in her way. “Tom was out of town and called to remind me to purchase tickets for the drawing,” said Millie. “I was really tired from mowing the lawn but I figured I’d better go!”

So Millie stopped at Midway Market on nearby Highway 51 South and made the group’s usual Quick Pick purchase with Power Play for the May 13, 2009 drawing. “The timing could not be better,” said Tom. “Lee is a retired teacher and Lynda, who also teaches, is retiring this year.” The Pullens have always played Power Play. “It just doesn’t make sense to do anything else!” said Tom. For an extra dollar per play, a player may purchase the Powerball Power Play option, which multiplies any non-jackpot win by two to five times, depending on the Power Play multiplier for that drawing. Any winner who plays Power Play and matches all five white ball numbers will win $1 million, regardless of the multiplier selected. (As always, all set prizes and Power Play prizes may be reduced if claims exceed available prize fund.)

Lucky Loretta Wins $200,000 Powerball in Tennessee!
In one week’s time, Loretta Follis found six four-leaf clovers and won $200,000. “This has just been a week like no other,” said the Clinton, Tenn. resident, whose big win came from a ticket purchased at Weigel’s on Washington Pike in Knoxville, Tenn. for the May 13, 2009 Powerball drawing.

“I just can’t believe it!” said Loretta, who works at a plastic pellet manufacturing company in Knoxville. Loretta plans to use part of the money to help save for her 14-year old son’s future. Congratulations to Loretta!

Longtime Friends Win $1 Million Powerball Prize in Louisiana!
Longtime friends Kerri Oliver and Rita Stafford, both of Arkansas, have shared a lot over the many years they've known each other. Now they'll add a $1 million Powerball prize to that list after claiming the prize at Louisiana Lottery headquarters. "We grew up together," said Oliver, age 27. "This was the fourth time we'd bought tickets. We sat down and said no matter what we win - $15 or a million – we"ll split it down the middle." "She's the only person I would trust to do something like this with," added Stafford, age 29. "We promised each other this wouldn't come between us."

Oliver bought the ticket for the May 6 drawing and was determined to catch the live drawing show once her three children were put to sleep. "I got down to the TV stand and wrote the numbers down as they came up," explained Oliver. "I held my breath until the Powerball number came up." "Rita was sleeping when I tried to call her, so I left her a message to call me no matter what time it was," said Oliver. Stafford called her the following morning. "I don’t even remember what she said," laughed Stafford. "We didn't think we would ever actually win. We always would just joke around."

Oliver said she plans to save most of her half of the prize and take her children on a vacation. Stafford said she plans to buy a house. Their ticket matched all five white-ball numbers drawn to win $200,000. Because they added the Power Play option to their ticket, their prize was automatically multiplied by five, bringing their total winnings to $1 million.

For an additional $1 per play, Powerball players can purchase the Power Play option to multiply any nonjackpot prize up to five times, depending upon the Power Play number randomly selected during the drawing. Starting in January 2009, the 5X multiplier is automatically applied to "match-5" prizes, when the Power Play option is purchased. The Louisiana Lottery had three $1 million Powerball winners in three consecutive drawings with those players opting to purchase the Power Play add-on. One of the three tickets, purchased in West Monroe from the April 29 drawing, has yet to be claimed. Norsworthy's on Crossett Road in Bastrop sold Oliver and Stafford their winning ticket.

Longtime Friends Win $200,000 Powerball!
Longtime friends Doug Petty, Randall Ray and Steve Thillen have had a pact ever since they started playing Powerball: “We promised we would never joke if we won big!” So, when Steve called the others there was no doubting his news that they had won $200,000 by matching five white ball numbers in the May 6, 2009 Powerball drawing.

The Memphis friends are heading off with cigars and clubs for a golf trip, then will likely save, invest and “play more golf.” The winning ticket was purchased at Kroger Fuel Center on Germantown Road in Cordova. Good luck to the Memphians!

OKLAHOMA MAN WINS $10K PLAYING POWERBALL
Another happy Oklahoma City resident is a Powerball winner. Christopher Clark won $10,000 from the Wednesday, May 6th draw. He purchased his winning ticket from the Okie Mini Mart Del City. “My wife woke me up and told me we had won but I was pessimistic,” he said. “I didn’t believe her at first.”

Clark received his winning numbers through Easy Pick but often selects his own numbers as well. When asked about his plans for his winnings, he and his wife have different ideas. “I want to buy a motorcycle but I know she won’t let me,” said Clark, laughing. “I think we’ll probably pay off our washer and dryer.” A longtime player, Clark thinks it’s good that the Lottery proceeds help support Oklahoma education. “Anything that generates money for schools is good.”

Player Wins $1 Million Power Play in Louisiana
John McIntyre of Natchez, Miss., became the Louisiana Lottery's first Powerball millionaire of 2009 when he claimed his prize from the May 2 drawing. "I called my niece the day after the drawing and she gave me the numbers," explained McIntyre, age 66. "I wrote them down and threw them on the table. I didn't look at them again until two days later. Then, I said to myself, 'I caught four. Wait, no indeed, I caught five!'"

McIntyre's ticket matched all five white-ball numbers drawn to win $200,000. Because he added the Power Play option to his ticket, his prize was automatically multiplied by five, bringing his total winnings to $1 million. For an additional $1 per play, Powerball players can purchase the Power Play option to multiply any non-jackpot prize up to five times, depending upon the Power Play number for the drawing that evening. Starting in January 2009, the 5X multiplier is automatically applied to "match-5" prizes, when the Power Play option is purchased.

B-Kwik Food Mart on Carter Street in Vidalia sold McIntyre his winning ticket. McIntyre said he has been playing Powerball since the Louisiana Lottery offered the game starting in 1995 and has always picked his own numbers. "I always change my numbers. The numbers I won on just came to me," he explained.

Missouri Man Claims $200,000 Powerball Prize
The price of a Powerball ticket was “worth a dream” for a Sedalia man who walked away with a smile and a $200,000 payday. Richard Knipp matched all five white-ball numbers in the May 2 drawing to earn the game’s second-level prize, claiming his winnings at Missouri Lottery headquarters in Jefferson City. Knipp, 56, said he only buys Powerball tickets on occasion, usually when the jackpot starts to rise. Though he couldn’t suppress a brief moment of wishing he had matched that elusive red Powerball number, too, he admitted that $200,000 was something to be “pretty excited” about.

After getting his ticket scanned the morning after the drawing to see if it was a winner, Knipp “took it home and woke everybody up” with the good news. On Monday morning, he followed up with a call to the Lottery where he was instructed to sign the back of the ticket and keep it in a safe place until he could redeem it. He purchased his ticket at Jacee’s Express in Sedalia, and used Quick Pick to allow the computer to randomly select the numbers for him. As far as future plans for the money go, he intends to “just sit on it” and tuck the unexpected cash in the bank. “I’ll have to think about what to do… retirement mostly.”

Eight Florida Friends Claim $200,000 Powerball Prize
The Florida Lottery today announced that Barbara Woodard, 61, of Winter Haven, claimed $200,000 from the Florida POWERBALL® drawing held on April 29, 2009. Woodard claimed for herself and seven of her longtime friends: Terri Culvahouse, Charlene Elliott, Judith Haizlip, Donie Lee Kriston, Carolyn L. Smith, Kitty VandenBeemd and Dorothy Young. The winning POWERBALL ticket was purchased at Superway, located on Dundee Road in Winter Haven.

The friends, who all work together at the Brandywyne Healthcare Center, arrived at the Florida Lottery Tampa District Office in a Hummer stretch limousine. They had pooled their money together to play POWERBALL, and were very excited to have won the $200,000. They already have their tickets for Saturday’s POWERBALL drawing, and decided to multiply their winnings this time by selecting Power Play.

Louisiana Man wins $200,000 with Powerball
Disbelief washed over Jerome Shields as he sat staring at the last Powerball ticket in the stack he had just checked. That ticket matched all five of the white ball numbers from the April 8 Powerball drawing, making the 54-year-old Lockport resident the latest in a string of $200,000 winners.

"I always check all of my tickets to see if I match the Powerball number first. I hadn't for the April 8 drawing, but I went back through them to check for matching white ball numbers," said Shields. "Tuesday, I went back through all the winning tickets I had set aside just to verify how much I had won, and I couldn't believe what I saw. The last ticket matched all five of the white ball numbers!"

Shields said that while the idea of winning is still sinking in, he knows he will use some his winnings to host a retirement party for his wife. He purchased his winning ticket at Acadian Express #4622 in Houma.

Pennsylvania Woman Claims $87.2 Million Jackpot Share from February
A Wyndmoor, Montgomery County, woman has claimed an $87.2 million Powerball jackpot from the Feb. 28 drawing. She claimed a share of a larger jackpot split with one other top-prize winning ticket sold in Delaware. Palmira Nicolo had the Pennsylvania Lottery winning jackpot ticket that matched all five white balls and the red Powerball number to win the Feb. 28 jackpot, which grew over 12 drawings to an annuity value of $174.4 million. Each of the two top-prize winning tickets sold was worth an annuity amount of $87.2 million. Nicolo elected to take the $46,629,112.16 cash value of the jackpot. Nicolo said she plays the Pennsylvania Lottery regularly and will continue to play, since she believes “the Lottery is doing a good thing supporting senior programs and services.” Nicolo purchased the winning ticket at the Plymouth Meeting Mall Customer Service Center, 500 Germantown Pike, Plymouth Meeting, Montgomery County