His family didn’t believe he won until he sent them a photo of the check
Olympia, Wash. (August 2, 2023) – David, an IT Infrastructure Manager from Everett, had his eyes on the prize. With the Powerball jackpot worth $1 billion at the time, he decided to reinvest his $7 winnings from the game’s previous drawing and added $3 to buy another ticket worth $10.
When it came time to see if his ticket was a winner, he scanned the barcode and the words “See Lottery Office” flashed on his screen. He immediately looked up the numbers and double checked them to see that he had indeed won $50,000.
David first told his family, who did not believe his story as he’s known to joke around. To prove he was telling the truth, he texted a picture of the winning ticket to them. However, his sister was convinced he had photoshopped the picture, so he sent her one last text: a photo of the $50,000 check with his name on it from Washington’s Lottery. “You aren’t joking, are you?” she replied.
Once the money deposited into his account, he immediately put away $25,000 into his savings. David then distributed the rest of the money to his immediate family.
Powerball is a national lottery game. Each play is $2. Players pick five numbers between one and 69 and one Powerball number between one and 26. Alternatively, players may use Quick Pick by letting the computer select their numbers. With nine winning ball combinations, the more numbers that match those drawn, the more a player will win. Tickets for Powerball are available for purchase at Washington’s Lottery retail locations throughout the state. Players can find Washington’s Lottery retail locations here.
Making a Difference in Washington State
Since 1982, Washington’s Lottery has generated more than $4.5 billion to support several important state programs, including providing much-needed funds for the Washington Opportunity Pathways Account (WOPA). In FY21, WOPA received $185.7 million from the Lottery, enough to pay college tuition for more than 18,000 Washington residents. It also provided approximately 25% of the annual budget for the state’s Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program, which provides critical services to more than 15,000 children at 440 locations across Washington.
Washington’s Lottery Beneficiary Fact – April 2022
Washington’s Lottery is very proud to be a financial supporter of the state’s Early Childhood Education & Assistance Program (ECEAP). The $40 million annual investment the lottery makes in ECEAP has lasting effects. Children who participate in ECEAP are more likely to be kindergarten-ready than non-participants, and those who participate five or more hours per day are especially prepared in reading and math.* Children in state-funded pre-K programs like ECEAP see long-lasting positive effects, including increased grade progression, high school graduation and college enrollment.**
About Washington’s Lottery: The state’s Lottery offers consumers several types of games, including Mega Millions, Powerball, Lotto, Hit 5, Match 4, Pick 3, Daily Keno and Scratch. For more information, visit www.walottery.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @walottery.
Keep it fun. Know your limit. Washington’s Lottery is an advocate for responsible gaming and collaborates with the Evergreen Council for Problem Gambling to provide resources for those in need. More information is available at www.walottery.com/Responsibility.
###
Press Contacts
Dan Miller (Curator on behalf of Washington’s Lottery)
E-mail: dan.miller@curatorpr.com
Xiamara Garza (Curator on behalf of Washington’s Lottery)
E-mail: xiamara.garza@curatorpr.com
* Early Learning Feedback Report. https://erdc.wa.gov/data-dashboards/early-learning-feedback-report-0
** Boston Public Schools Department of Early Childhood. (n.d.). Boston universal pre-K. Retrieved June 9, 2021, from https://www.bpsearlylearning.org/boston-upk