Missouri Woman Scores $200,000 Powerball Prize
Scharlene Elms of Eldon is a busy woman. She spends her weeks working at Walmart and just about every Saturday night making music at the Ozark Hills Theater in Lebanon. She was on her way to the Prater Country Music Show on Feb. 6 and decided at the last minute to stick to her routine of buying a Powerball ticket each Saturday. That decision changed her life.

"I almost didn't buy one," recalled Elms. "I'm not really sure; I just, at the last minute, I went in to pay for gas, and I thought, 'Yeah, I'll go ahead and get one. What the heck.' I'm sure glad I did, now!" Elms added a $2 Quick Pick ticket to her purchase at Murphy Express, 4294 Highway 54, in Osage Beach. When she checked the ticket on the Internet Sunday morning, she discovered she won $200,000.

"I punched my numbers in, just to check it and make sure," began Elms. "I went to him, (her boyfriend, Wayne) I actually started crying, and I double-checked because I thought I had surely punched my numbers in wrong. So he came in and checked it for me, and he said, 'I think it's right. I think it's right.' Then I called my daughter and she checked it, too. I wanted to make absolute sure before I came in and made a fool of myself.

"We didn't really jump and down a lot or anything," she continued. "I mean, I got kind of excited when I thought, 'We'll be able to be debt-free.' But, we've been kind of subdued about it, just in awe." Her boyfriend, Wayne, and daughter, Tiffany Kincade, accompanied Elms to Jefferson City to claim her prize on Feb. 8. She said she would use the money to pay bills, pay off a house she owns in Rolla that is rented by her son, Nathan Kincade, and use some of the money to put a down-payment on a house of her own. In addition to reducing her monthly bills, Elms said that she may also take a vacation.

"I'd like to go to Nashville for a little vacation," she explained. "He's been to Nashville before, and I've never been there, so I'd really like to go. "I've never been a lucky person, that's why this was so shocking to me. I thought, 'This can't be true, you know.' But it's amazing."

Kansas Resident Claims $200,000 Powerball Prize
A Topeka resident is “on cloud nine” after realizing he matched the first five Powerball numbers in the February 3 drawing, winning a $200,000 cash prize. The winner, who wishes to remain anonymous, discovered his win when he checked his $2 Quick Pick ticket last Saturday.

“When I bought my ticket, I put it on the visor in my truck,” explained the winner. “After going to an auction on Saturday, I stopped to get a drink. As I was getting out of my truck, I remembered the ticket and took it in with me.” The lucky winner decided to check his ticket himself on the store’s Check-A-Ticket machine. “When I scanned my ticket it read, ‘Sign back of Ticket, Redeem at Lottery,’” the winner said. “I’ve never seen that before, so when I went up to the counter I asked the store clerk for a pen. I signed the back of my ticket and asked the guy if he’d check my ticket to see how much I’d won. When he scanned the ticket he said, ‘Dude, come back here and take a look at this! You’ll never believe how much you’ve won.’”

A little confused, the winner stepped behind the counter and read the store’s Lottery terminal screen. “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” said the winner. “I grabbed the ticket out of his hand and whooped and hollered all the way out of the store.” Winning a $200,000 cash prize came at a great time for the Topeka resident. He’s been laid off work for the past four months and his wife recently had a knee replaced. “Now we can get caught up on bills and pay off our house,” said the winner. The winning ticket was purchased at Kwik Shop 781, located at 4500 S. Topeka Boulevard in Topeka.

Intuition Guides Missouri Woman to Powerball Prize
A Jefferson City woman is thankful she didn't ignore an inclination she had to play Powerball on Feb. 3. Joyce Jarrett, 56, buys Powerball tickets for most drawings, but admits to missing some on occasion. She hadn't planned on buying tickets the same day of her win, but a "strong desire" prompted her to make a stop at Break Time, 1200 Missouri Blvd. in Jefferson City, to purchase tickets. The decision proved to be a profitable one earning the first-time Lottery winner a $10,000 prize.

Jarrett, who works as a nurse in Columbia, said she checked her ticket at Break Time's Check-A-Ticket machine, but she didn't realize what she had won right away. "At first it said, 'Invalid,'" she began. "I took it back out and then I put it back in, and it said, 'You're a winner.'" She recalled seeing "all the zeros," but assumed she had won $10. "Then I start counting the zeros, and I'm like, 'No, that's not what it said,'" she revealed.

She returned the ticket to the machine to check one more time. "My heart started beating real fast," she recalled. "I walked over to the terminal, and said, 'Can you check this ticket?'" The store had already heard that they sold a winning ticket, but it wasn't until that moment that Jarrett and the store clerks realized the winner's identity. The mother of two and grandmother of five said her family was very excited about her win when she shared the news. One of Jarrett's grandchildren even had a suggestion about how her grandmother could spend her winnings. "The other granddaughter texted me and said, 'Why don't you buy 10,000 Powerball tickets,'" she said with a laugh. However, Jarrett had her own idea of how she wanted to spend the prize money – a family vacation and a celebration dinner.

Power Play Option Wins West Virginia Man $20,000
Bill Bohaboy of Glen Dale said he went in as normal to get his morning coffee at Valley Cheese. And, as normal, he had his Powerball numbers checked for the Wednesday, February 24th drawing. But, not as normal, Bohaboy learned his prize was $10,000...NO, make that $20,000! Becuase he had chosen the Power Play option for a dollar extra, Bohaboy's prize doubled as soon as the number two was drawn as the Power Play multiplier.

A native New Yorker, Bohaboy, 64, said he has lived in West Virginia for 19 years and wouldn't live anywhere else. "I love it here. You can park. On my tombstone you can write, 'he stayed because he was able to find a lot of spots.’ Parking spots are everywhere." Bohaboy said that since retiring from the construction business, he has a lot of time on his hands and money to spend.

"People laugh at me for gambling, but here's the deal. Where else can I have access to that kind of cash? Not in stocks or property or some kind of invention. Just think – I almost won $95 million. Now the fact is, I thought I'd won the jackpot, but that's not to say I don't appreciate the twenty grand."

$141.4 Million Powerball Jackpot Won in North Carolina
Just days before Valentine’s Day, an Asheville man and his wife of 46 years got a sweet surprise - to the tune of $141.4 million. Frank Griffin of Asheville, a retired firefighter with over 20 years of service, won the Powerball jackpot after his ticket matched all five white balls and the Powerball in the Saturday, Feb. 6 drawing.

Griffin and his wife Loretta made the trip to lottery headquarters in Raleigh today to claim their prize. At a news conference, Griffin told reporters that he “felt fantastic” and that the prize money will allow him to “play more golf.” He also said he plans to spend more time with his family and possibly take a trip to Hawaii.

The Asheville retiree told reporters that after buying gas at the Wilco on Smokey Park Highway in Asheville, he had $5 left over and decided to purchase some lottery tickets. He let the computer pick his numbers. Griffin is the third Powerball jackpot winner from North Carolina since the game was introduced in May 2006. He elected to take the lump sum payment which is approximately $69 million (approximately $47 million after federal and state withholdings).

Kentucky Woman Misses Bingo Outing but Wins $1 Million on Powerball
Barbara Baker, 52, of Hopkinsville, couldn’t make it to Bingo so she opted to buy a Powerball ticket instead. Although Barbara didn’t match all five numbers and the Powerball number on the January 13th drawing to win the jackpot, she did win $1 million. By choosing to play the Power Play feature, Barbara automatically won the game’s second prize of $1 million regardless of the Power Play number drawn.

Barbara watched the Powerball numbers being drawn on TV. “I saw the first number and thought, ‘I got it’, the second number and thought, ‘I got it’. When I got the last number I was like ‘Oh my gosh,’” Barbara told lottery officials. Barbara thought she had only won $200,000. It wasn’t until later that night after she picked her daughter up from work that she found out that she had won $1 million. “I was mad when I couldn’t go to Bingo, but I’m not mad anymore. This is more than I’d ever win at Bingo,” Barbara said. Barbara’s ticket was a quick pick. She purchased her Powerball with Power Play ticket at Max Fuel Express in Hopkinsville.

New Mexico Man Turns $200,000 Powerball Prize into $1 Million Cash
Albuquerque resident Eduardo Vazquez came forward recently to claim a $1 million Powerball prize from the New Mexico Lottery. The lucky Powerball ticket matched all five white balls from the game’s Jan. 30 drawing. Ordinarily, this grouping pays $200,000, but the prize was increased fivefold by Power Play. For an extra $1 per wager, Power Play multiplies non-jackpot prizes from 2 to 5 times. Matching all 5 white balls with a Power Play automatically multiplies the $200,000 prize by 5.

Vazquez, who spends about $4 to $6 a week on lottery games, said it’s all for fun. “If (a prize) is coming, it will come,” he told lottery officials in Albuquerque. Vazquez, wife Angeles and friend Mario Martinez brought the ticket to the New Mexico lottery headquarters to redeem. The winner said he plans to share his prize with family and close friends. The winning ticket was sold by Smith’s No. 491 at 2110 Pacheco St. in Santa Fe.

Missouri Couple Wins $30,000 With Power Play
Even though Avida Williams and Eric Reitan were only one number away from a jackpot, the couple was more than happy with their $30,000 Powerball prize. "It was a wonderful blessing," explained Williams. "It was really exciting, and it was so much fun. I was jumping and down and screaming. I was spinning around in circles. The whole thing was very exciting."

According to Williams, the couple normally plays a set of family birthdates and sentimental dates for each Powerball drawing. But the day before the Dec. 30 drawing, Williams broke routine and asked her husband to pick up $5 worth of Quick Pick tickets. "I just said, 'Go get me five Quick Picks. Make sure you do Power Play.' I always have to do the Power Play," she added. By adding Power Play to their ticket, the couple turned what would have been a $10,000 prize into $30,000. Reitan purchased the winning ticket at 7-Eleven, 509 Bates St., in St. Louis.

Williams, who runs Le'Crissa's Homemade Candles, Scent by Angel, out of her home, was about to start work the day after the drawing when she discovered the ticket was a winner. She sat down at the computer early in the morning to check the winning numbers. As Williams matched her tickets against the Powerball Web site, she began to wonder if she was dreaming. "I just kept looking at it, and then I said, 'Wait, wait, wait. Wake up, wake up, you're asleep, wake up!' I looked at it some more and then I started screaming for my husband."

Reitan, who was still half-asleep, called from the top of the stairs, "Honey, what's wrong?" Williams continued, "I walked him over to the computer and said, 'Look at the ticket. Now look at the screen. Look at the ticket and look at the screen!' "I called my daughter. I called my son. I paced around the floor, a lot, going, 'I can't believe it, I can't believe it.'" The couple said they would pay some bills and get a car for Avida. Williams indicated that she would put some of the money into her business. She also said that she would continue to play the Lottery. "Just play and believe you're going to win. And you can't win if you don't play," she added.

Oklahoma Resident Wins $10,000 Playing Powerball
Victor Febler, a resident of Monkey Island, Okla., won $10,000 playing Powerball. Febler bought his winning ticket at Littlefield Country Corner, 559991 E. Highway 85A, in Monkey Island. He received his winning numbers through Quick Pick. Febler said he usually buys his lottery tickets at Littlefield Country Corner and plans on using his winnings to purchase a car.

Oklahoma Resident Wins $30,000 Playing Powerball with Power Play
Lisa Brixie of Hominy doesn’t play the Oklahoma Lottery often, but when she does—it pays off! She recently won $30,000 playing Powerball with Power Play. Brixie purchased her winning Powerball ticket at Total Stop, 501 E. 1st Street, in Hominy. For only $1 more she purchased Power Play, which tripled her original $10,000 win. She received her winning numbers via Quick Pick.

“I play every Wednesday and Saturday, and look who wins,” said Lisa’s husband Bobby. According to Lisa, she’s going to keep playing and always choose the Power Play option. “You can’t win if you don’t play,” she said. The Brixie’s have a son in college and a daughter that will soon start. They plan to use part of the money toward tuition. The couple plays the Lottery knowing that a portion of its proceeds helps benefit Oklahoma education. “It’s a great idea,” said Lisa.

12 New Mexico Employees Share $200,000 Powerball Prize
Twelve employees from the Los Alamos National Laboratory claimed a $200,000 Powerball® prize recently after a co-worker announced their good fortune in a three-page PowerPoint presentation earlier in the day. “There was an audible gasp,” said Shean Monahan, who bought the pool’s ticket and discovered the prize.

The employees - 11 engineers and their administrative assistant – chipped in so that Monahan could purchase 10 wagers for the Jan. 2 drawing. Monahan discovered the $200,000 prize the following Monday night when he checked the ticket for winning numbers. The ticket’s last wager matched the 5 winning white ball numbers. The wager missed the red Powerball, which would have scored the night’s jackpot of $25 million.

Until he discovered the prize, Monahan admitted being too casual with the ticket, which had been stashed in his car’s glove box. “I started to panic a little,” Monahan recalled for lottery officials in Albuquerque. “I put the ticket in a plastic bag and locked it in a safe. Then I checked it every hour.” Deciding it was too late in the evening to call anyone, Monahan drove the safe to work that next Tuesday morning and brought his unsuspecting co-workers into a conference room where he projected his PowerPoint announcement. The news brought mostly whoops and hollers, but one winner cried and another thought it was a practical joke.

In addition to Shean Monahan, the winners are Jennifer Alwin, Richard Anderson, James Baker, Douglas Bowen, Erik Eifert, Charles Harmon, Ryan Kamm, Thomas Jones, Mark Mitchell, Marquita Velasquez and Jessie Walker. The $200,000 prize was divided equally. Several employees said they planned to make payments against their home loans and take vacations.

$10,000 Powerball Prize Claimed by Missouri Resident
The Jan. 20 Powerball drawing contained a stroke of good luck for Dean Gabelmann of Festus. The 42-year-old matched four out of five white-ball numbers, along with the Powerball number, to win a $10,000 cash prize. Gabelmann purchased his winning ticket at QuikTrip, 14800 Manchester Road in Ballwin, and claimed his prize at the Missouri Lottery’s St. Louis regional office on Jan. 25.

Arkansas Jackpot Winner Comes Forward
A Conway man won the $25 million jackpot in Powerball’s Jan. 2 drawing, state lottery officials report. The recipient, who wishes to remain anonymous, claimed his prize on Friday, January 29th. Officials also did not release his age or occupation. The new winner opted to collect a lump sum of $12.15 million instead of the full amount paid in installments over 30 years. The winning ticket was sold at the Crackerbox convenience store in Mayflower.

$32M Powerball Prize is Claimed
The Oklahoma Lottery announced the $32 million winning Powerball ticket, from Nov. 21, 2009, has been claimed. The End of the Rainbow Trust has come forward as the beneficiary, with Richard Craig, serving as the trustee. Craig is an attorney with the law firm of McAfee & Taft in Oklahoma City.

The End of the Rainbow Trust requested the lump-sum payment option and will receive $11.8M after taxes. The winning jackpot ticket was sold at Kwik Chek #38 located at 505 S. Garfield in Kiowa, Okla. The End of the Rainbow Trust is the fourth Powerball Jackpot winner in Oklahoma since the launch of Powerball in Jan. 2006.

Missouri Man Wins $200,000 Playing Powerball
A Milan man is now debt-free after he matched all five white-ball numbers in the Dec. 23 Powerball drawing to win $200,000. Jeffery “Jeff” Jefferson, 50, said he plans to use his prize winnings to pay off his house and his vehicle. The prize money that is left, he plans to “sit on it for a while.”

“I haven’t been debt-free since back in the ‘80s, so this is going to be different,” said Jefferson, who works in maintenance at Farmland Foods in Milan. Jefferson purchased his winning ticket at Casey’s, 220 E. Third St. in Milan, on Dec. 23, during his regular Wednesday stop for a Milan Standard newspaper. He didn’t find out that his ticket was a big winner until he stopped for a paper one week later.

“When the clerk checked my ticket, she said to me, ‘You’ve got to go to a Lottery office to claim it,’” he said. “She almost fainted. “She said, ‘Are you going to cry?’ And I said, ‘No.’ Then she said, ‘I think I’m going to.’” Jefferson used Quick Pick to select his lucky numbers.

Million Dollar Christmas for Indy Couple
Brent Lighty of Indianapolis had an especially good Christmas after winning $1 million in the December 19 Powerball drawing. Lighty and his wife, Leanne, claimed their $1 million prize at Hoosier Lottery Headquarters.

"It's amazing," said Lighty. "It's a pretty surreal feeling." Lighty matched the first five numbers, but not the Powerball number, in the Saturday December 19 drawing. Lighty upgraded the standard $200,000 prize to $1 million by adding Power Play for an extra dollar. With Power Play, the $200,000 Match 5 prize becomes an automatic $1 million.

"Even after Uncle Sam gets done with it, it was a nice Christmas present!" said Lighty. Brent and Leanne say they plan to pay off their house and cars. Lighty purchased his lucky quick pick ticket at Marsh Supermarket at 1440 East 86th Street in Indianapolis. "You can't win if you don't play," said Lighty.

One Digit Off: Indiana Man Wins $200,000
An Indianapolis man is one of the latest lucky Hoosier’s to win big money playing America's favorite game, Powerball. Hai Zheng, a self described "superfan" of Powerball was elated as he claimed his $200,000 prize at Hoosier Lottery Headquarters.

"It's very exciting. I never expected this," said Zheng. "I just play for fun!" Zheng was just one digit off from winning the Dec. 16th $77 million Powerball jackpot. Zheng matched the first five numbers, but not the Powerball number to win $200,000.

Zheng works for Indiana University and says he plans to use his winnings to travel. He purchased his lucky ticket at Kroger #500 at 5718 Crawfordsville Rd. in Indianapolis.

Missouri Lottery Winner Says Sundays are for Football and Powerball
Dane Sackrider has his Sunday routine down pat. Each week, prior to the Kansas City Chiefs football game, he ventures to a nearby convenience store to get something to drink and to check his Powerball tickets from the previous night’s drawing. Though the Chiefs lost one recent Sunday, Sackrider came out a winner. The 22-year-old bank teller won $10,000 by matching four white-ball numbers, as well as the Powerball number, from the Dec. 12th drawing.

Sackrider said his Sunday trips to QuikTrip, in Grandview, usually include a little friendly encouragement on his part as he asks the clerk to scan his ticket to determine if it’s a winner. “Usually, I’m like, ‘Come on, win. Come on, win,’” he shared. “This time I wasn’t really even watching. It came up $10,000, and I said, ‘Do what?!’”

He took the ticket home and checked his numbers again on Molottery.com. Armed with the reassurance that he really was holding a $10,000 ticket, Sackrider called his mother to share the good news. “She said, ‘Shut up, you’re lying,” he laughed, thinking of the reactions of those around him. “My sister’s boyfriend also said he hated me. That was kind of nice.” Plans for the unexpected prize money include “putting some in savings and probably getting a pretty nice TV, too.”

Missouri Man Wins $200,000 Powerball Prize
Timothy Flowers is looking forward “to getting out of debt” after matching all five white-ball numbers in the Dec. 5 Powerball drawing. The feat earned the Curryville boilermaker a cash prize of $200,000. Flowers purchased his winning ticket at Abel’s Quik Shop in Bowling Green. Flowers, 46, discovered his ticket was a winner when he went back to Abel’s Quick Shop a couple of days following the drawing.

“I went in there and scanned it,” he said, referring to the retailer’s Check-A-Ticket machine. Though he tried not to create a scene in the store when he realized what he was holding, he was pretty sure his appearance gave him away. “I was excited,” he said. “My eyes got as big as saucers, and my mouth hit the floor.” He then “walked out to my dad and said, ‘You aint going to believe this!’” Flowers used Powerball’s Quick Pick feature to allow the computer to randomly select his numbers for him.

Idaho Woman Claims $200,000 Powerball Ticket
December was an emotional month for Frankie Masterson of St. Maries. While lamenting the third anniversary of the loss of her husband of 39 years, Frankie learned her grandson had been seriously wounded while serving in Afghanistan. Then came one Sunday morning, when in an unusual twist of luck, her circumstances took another, completely unexpected turn while she reviewed the winning Powerball numbers in the Sunday paper. Frankie was holding a Powerball ticket that matched the 5 white balls from the Saturday night’s numbers of the December 12th drawing. The only number she did not have was 29, the Powerball number.

“I can’t quit getting blubbery,” said a shocked Masterson, who has lived in St. Maries since 1969. “I’ve been getting by just by the skin of my teeth. I’m still shaking. This is unbelievable.”

Every present on her mind has been the safety of her grandson who stepped on an IED (an improvised explosive device also known as a roadside bomb) the first part of December while serving on active duty with the U.S. Marine Corps in Afghanistan. Mercifully, Frankie’s grandson is recovering from his wounds stateside in an east coast medical facility.

“He was badly injured, but he is alive,” said a concerned Frankie. “He comes first before this money, that’s for sure.” Frankie signed her ticket before returning to the store where she purchased it, Harvest Foods in St. Maries, to check and make sure it was the winner. After verifying it was indeed the winning ticket that needed to be claimed in Boise, Masterson locked the ticket away in her son’s gun safe until bringing it to Idaho Lottery Headquarters.

Frankie plans to use some of her winnings to visit her grandson. “I couldn’t have afforded to visit him without this,” said a thankful Frankie. “I’m planning on taking his sister and maybe my great-grand daughter to visit him. This has been one holiday to remember.”

Kansas Resident “Bags” $200,000 Powerball Prize
After a weekend of deer hunting, Roy Higbee wasn’t able to find that trophy deer to hang on his wall. He did, however, get a big $200,000 check he can hang on his wall. The Severy resident matched the first five Powerball numbers in the Dec. 12 drawing, winning a $200,000 cash prize!

“My wife Tamara and I were out deer hunting on Saturday when we decided to stop at a convenience store to get something to eat,” said Higbee. “I ended up with $5 left and decided to buy a Powerball ticket.” Higbee was shocked when that spur of the moment purchase proved to be worth $200,000. “We stopped at another convenience store Sunday morning before heading out to our deer stand,” said Higbee. “That’s when I checked my ticket. The Check-A-Ticket machine kept reading, ‘Sign back of ticket. Claim at Lottery.’ I thought something was wrong, so I asked my niece Crashena, who was working at the store, to check my ticket. When she told me I’d won $200,000, I couldn’t believe it. I thought she said $200. She had to repeat herself several times.”

Needless to say, Higbee and his wife didn’t deer hunt that day. “We got out to our deer stand and I didn’t feel like hunting,” said Higbee. “We decided to go shopping instead.” Higbee, who works for Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita, said he couldn’t wait to go to work tomorrow and share his good news. “There are a few guys that pool their money every week and buy Lottery tickets,” said Higbee. “I asked to be part of the pool and they wouldn’t let me. I can’t wait to show them what I’ve won.” The Higbees, who have been married five years, plan to buy a newer home and car with their winnings. The winning ticket was purchased at Tripco Enterprises, Inc., located in Severy.

Tennessee Woman $1 Million Richer
Rowena McIntyre couldn’t contain her tears of joy when she arrived at the Tennessee Lottery’s headquarters to claim her $1 million win. “It’s surreal,” said the Martin, Tenn. resident. “This just gives me peace of mind…you have no idea.”

Rowena, who works at a senior center and eagerly talks about her children and grandchildren, won the $1 million by matching all five white numbers from the Saturday, December 5th Powerball drawing and using the Power Play. She purchased her ticket from University Exxon in Martin, Tenn.

Indiana Man Collects $200,000 Prize
Bradley Keal of Connersville learned his lesson about Power Play the hard way. After matching five of six numbers, excluding the Powerball, in Saturday night's, Dec. 5 draw, Keal became a $200,000 winner. When he called Hoosier Lottery Headquarters to find out what to do, Keal was asked if he was aware of Power Play. The Connersville man was not and hence had not chosen to Power Play his Powerball purchase.

"I had to pick my jaw up off the floor after the woman told me that I would have won one million dollars," said Keal, who claimed his $200,000 from Hoosier Lottery Headquarters with his twin brother Brian. "I'm not complaining, though. This is more than I had before!" A Powerball with Power Play ticket that matches five of five white balls will multiply the $200,000 prize by five, regardless of the Power Play number selected. Keal would have won $1 million if he had purchased Power Play.

"I told him that if he would have put Power Play on his ticket, the computer may have generated totally different numbers for his quick pick ticket," said Brian Keal. "Then he wouldn't have won anything. Now we know for next time." Keal left his Powerball quick pick ticket in his pocket and pulled it out when he went to cash his pay check. "I checked the numbers online," said Keal. "I was flabbergasted." Keal's winning ticket was purchased from Miller Discount Tobacco Store in Connersville. "This will take care of me," said Keal. "And I can get some good Christmas gifts for people."

North Carolina Group Wins $200,000
A group of 15 teachers from Swansboro High School had a pleasant surprise this year for Thanksgiving. The day before Thanksgiving, they claimed $200,000 from their winning Nov. 7 Powerball ticket. This is not the first time the group has won big playing Powerball. They won $10,000 in the Jan. 10 Powerball drawing.

The winners are from Jacksonville, Swansboro, Maysville, Stella, Hubert, and Cape Carteret. Albert Zima of Jacksonville organized the Powerball pool and buys the tickets for the group. He says he originally thought they’d only won $100 because he’d written one of the winning numbers down incorrectly. When he took the ticket to be scanned, he learned that they’d actually matched all five white balls and the ticket was worth $200,000.

The group says they enjoy playing the lottery because it supports education in the state. Among the plans for the winnings are Christmas shopping, sharing the money with family, and putting the money in savings.

Christmas Eve Miracle Mistake Wins Georgetown Couple $128.6 Million
A Christmas Eve mistake has led to the largest lottery jackpot in Kentucky history being won by a Georgetown couple.

Rob Anderson, his wife Tuesday and a collection of family members came to Kentucky Lottery headquarters in Louisville with their winning ticket, which was a $3 Quick Pick. They have not chosen whether or not to take the lump sum or 30 year annuity. They have 60 days to make that decision.

Christmas Eve day started for 39 year-old Rob just like it did for many people – rushing around to buy last-minute Christmas gifts. “I was on my way to the Wal-Mart on Highway 62 in Georgetown to pick up some presents,” said Rob. “I saw the Pro Travel Marathon on my way to Wal-Mart, so I thought I’d swing in and get a couple of lottery tickets as stocking stuffers.”

“I needed to get gifts for three people, so I thought I’d get three single $1 Powerball tickets to put in their stockings,” Rob continued. “I told the clerk what I wanted, and instead he mistakenly printed one ticket with three lines of numbers that cost $3. I told him it was a mistake, but I decided to just keep the ticket and get the three others I needed.”

The clerk printed those tickets, and Rob went on to complete his holiday shopping. When he went home later that evening he threw the $3 ticket on the nightstand in his bedroom, not paying much attention to it as it wasn’t what he usually played. “I always pick my own numbers based on important dates, and I buy a $1 Powerball ticket every Wednesday and Saturday,” Rob said.

On the Sunday morning after the Powerball drawing of Saturday, December 26th, Rob checked the winning numbers on his DirectTV system and knew they weren’t any of the ones he usually picked. That’s when he remembered the $3 ticket on his nightstand.

“As I was walking down the hall with the ticket, it seemed like with every step I took I realized I’d matched another number. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. When I finally realized all of the numbers matched, I could only think of one thing to yell to my wife – “Oh damn, I think we’ve hit the lottery!” Still not believing what he was seeing, Tuesday called her father and asked him to read back the winning Powerball numbers. “Tuesday then told him he’d better get over to our house fast,” Rob said.

In the eleven days since the drawing, Rob has taken the time to meet with an attorney to decide how best to move forward. “It’s really important to me that we stay grounded through this process. I’d thought in the past about what I’d do if this ever happened to us, but the odds just seemed so long that I never thought it would occur.”

Rob said the first few nights after the big win were sleepless, and he’d been taking the rest of the time “day by day. My nerves were shot, and I drank a few beers to help calm me down.” The ticket was kept in a safe.

As for the future, Rob says he and Tuesday haven’t made any concrete plans but have looked at some pieces of property and a few new vehicles. One thing they’ve both talked about is their new-found wealth will allow them to go back to school to further their education. “I guess finance might be a good major to have,” Rob laughed.