Powerball Couple Scoop $1,000,000
Last Updated: Monday 25th July 2022, 15:31
A couple from South Carolina who won $200,000 by matching five white balls in the Powerball draw became the winners of $1 million, thanks to their Power Play number also being drawn.
Philip Smith and his wife were watching the draw unfold on television on Wednesday evening, and when they matched the five white balls they couldn't help but get excited - they had won $200,000 and needed just the red Power Ball to hit a $53 million jackpot. "We started dancing in the middle of the living room," Mrs Smith said, but their eyes were still on the screen.
The Power Ball was drawn. It wasn't the one the Smiths needed to win the jackpot, but there was still the Power Play number to be drawn. All Powerball entrants have the option to pay a little more for a Power Play number which multiplies any non-jackpot prize by 2, 3, 4 or 5 times. The Smiths opted for the 5 times multiplier, and when they saw their Power Play number being drawn they knew they had turned their $200,000 win into a cool $1 million.
"I called my son in Columbia and said, 'I think we've won a million dollars,'" Mrs Smith said. "I'm not 100% sure, but I think we have."
The South Carolina Lottery offices weren't open because of the Thanksgiving holiday, so Philip signed the lottery ticket and put it in his wallet for safe keeping until Monday. He then decided that the wallet should also be secured, so he popped it inside a plastic bag and hid it in the house.
The Smiths intend to use their Powerball fortune wisely as part of their retirement fund. But there will be enough for other things too. Philip has been wanting a screened-in porch for some time, and his wife has told him, "Honey, I think we can afford that now."