A Louisiana family came within one number of winning Monday night’s $1.1 billion Powerball jackpot, instead taking home a six-figure consolation prize.
John Stokes purchased his ticket at Billie’s Wag-A-Bag in Deridder and later discovered his family was just a single digit away from the grand prize. The ticket matched four of the five white ball numbers and the red Powerball. By adding the “Power Play” option, Stokes tripled his winnings to $150,000.
“We were shocked and feel so blessed,” Stokes said when claiming the prize alongside his family.
The top prize went unclaimed in both Monday’s drawing and the subsequent $1.44 billion drawing on Wednesday, causing the jackpot to soar to an estimated $1.7 billion. The odds of winning the grand prize are approximately 1 in 292 million.
While no one won the jackpot on Wednesday, four ticket holders won $2 million prizes for matching five numbers with the Power Play feature, and another 11 people won $1 million for matching five numbers.
The next Powerball drawing will be held on Saturday. The winner can choose between a lump-sum payment of roughly $770.3 million before taxes or an annuity that includes an initial payment followed by 29 annual installments.
No one has won the Powerball jackpot since May 31, allowing the prize to approach the record $2.04 billion payout awarded in 2022.
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