Powerball jackpot is hitting record numbers, but a Louisiana family narrowly missed winning the $1.1 billion Powerball jackpot after their ticket matched all but one number. Despite being close to the grand prize, the family won a significant amount. The winner, John Stokes, had purchased the ticket for the September 1 drawing and matched four white ball numbers along with the red Powerball number. The family won $150,000.
Stokes’ prize was tripled as he had also added the Power Play option.
Family’s Reaction, Winning Powerball Ticket
Stokes told the Louisiana Lottery that he bought the ticket at Billie’s Wag-A-Bag, LLC in DeRidder on September 1 because of its “convenient location.” He and his family checked the winning numbers before bed that night and were stunned by the outcome.
“We were shocked and feel so blessed,” Stokes said after visiting the lottery’s Alexandria regional office on September 2 to claim his winnings.
“We always love seeing our loyal players, like Mr. Stokes, win big,” Louisiana Lottery President Rose Hudson said in a statement. “We are excited to see more Louisiana winners come forward during this exciting and historic Powerball Jackpot run.”
Powerball Jackpot Grows To Record Numbers
The Powerball jackpot had climbed to $1.8 billion on September 5. This is the second-largest in US lottery history. The largest prize in history is the 2022 record-setting amount $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot that was won in California.
The next drawing is scheduled for Saturday, September 6, at 10:59 p.m. ET. It will broadcast live from the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee, Florida, and also on Powerball.com.
In a similar case, a North Carolina man missed the $1 billion Powerball jackpot on August 30 by just one number.
Like Stokes, he matched four of the five white balls and the red Powerball. That win earned him $50,000, which increased to $150,000 thanks to the Power Play option.
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Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
