Powerball lottery spreads the wealth in Wednesday's drawing

Dec 2, 2010, 8:30 pm (18 comments)

Powerball

Birthdays and playing the spread likely behind higher-than-anticipated winners

By Todd Northrop

URBANDALE, Ia. — What a night for Powerball players around the United States!

In Wednesday evening's Powerball multi-state lottery drawing, 34 players hit the match-5 $200,000 prize level, including nine winners who also purchased Power Play and will walk away with $1 million, and one player won the entire jackpot of $95.3 million.

The cash value of the jackpot is $49.8 million.

One lucky ticket sold in Arizona won Wednesday's $95.3 million Powerball jackpot by matching all 5 numbers plus the Powerball number.  The winning numbers were 5, 10, 11, 12, 20, and the Powerball number was 2.  The Power Play number was 3.

The big wins didn't stop there.  A total of 34 tickets sold throughout the United States matched the first 5 numbers but not the Powerball numbers to win second prize.

For 25 of those players that means a prize of $200,000, but for nine others who also purchased the Power Play option for an extra dollar, it means a whopping $1 million prize.

The second-prize tickets were sold in the following states:  1 from Colorado, 4 from Florida (3 with Power Play), 1 from Idaho (with Power Play), 1 from Indiana, 1 from Kentucky, 1 from Louisiana, 1 from Michigan, 1 from Nebraska, 1 from New Jersey, 13 from New York (1 with Power Play), 1 from North Carolina, 2 from Pennsylvania, 1 from Rhode Island (with Power Play), 1 from South Carolina, 1 from Tennessee (with Power Play), 1 from Texas (with Power Play), 1 from West Virginia, and 1 from Wisconsin (with Power Play). 

In addition to the big winners, nearly $14 million was won in smaller prizes.

"We did see a higher-than-anticipated number of big Powerball winners," said Vermont Lottery Executive Director Alan Yandow, chairman of the board that oversees the Powerball game.  He was referring to the prizes that players win for matching the first five numbers but missing the Powerball.  Those players win a $200,000 prize and, if they added the Power Play option to their ticket, that prize became $1 million.

"This ranks about No. 19 on our Match 5 hit list," said Chuck Strutt, Executive Director of Powerball. "We assume that the wins came from players who chose their numbers by using birthdays, children's ages, or other important dates. We also often see players who like multiples of five, like 5-10-15-20-25-30.  Both of those factors likely came into play in producing this big number of winners."

Yandow said Powerball created Power Play to get more $1 million winners in the game.  Players who match the first five numbers in a Powerball drawing with the additional Power Play option win $1 million, no matter what the Power Play multiplier is for that drawing.

"We've got a bunch of happy winners, and just in time for the holidays," Yandow said.  "We're excited to learn their stories and present them with their prizes."

Yandow said that the Powerball game is designed to handle an influx of winners like occurred in Wednesday's drawing.

"Results like this will happen from time to time and lottery games are designed to accommodate that," he said.  "We like to see big winners, and our players are really enjoying the chance to become a millionaire.  They also know their ticket purchases raise money for the valuable causes benefitted by lotteries."

Draw Date

Advertised JP

Sales

Match 5

3/30/2005

$25,000,000

$12,298,224

110

8/25/2001

$280,000,000

$207,633,079

91

6/18/2005

$43,000,000

$17,279,344

86

7/29/1998

$250,000,000

$210,850,582

79

12/21/2002

$215,000,000

$97,601,292

72

5/20/1998

$175,000,000

$138,549,398

57

7/25/1998

$180,000,000

$100,306,918

56

6/30/1999

$145,000,000

$69,797,117

49

10/19/2005

$340,000,000

$179,498,930

49

8/22/2001

$200,000,000

$120,277,346

44

2/18/2006

$365,000,000

$175,350,532

42

7/9/2003

$250,000,000

$118,404,001

40

6/19/2002

$14,000,000

$7,503,046

39

12/25/2002

$280,000,000

$171,501,131

38

2/22/2003

$42,000,000

$15,511,631

36

8/25/2007

$300,000,000

$105,242,759

36

3/1/2000

$100,000,000

$43,695,461

35

3/4/2000

$150,000,000

$77,092,846

35

12/1/2010

$95,000,000

$31,070,998

34

5/21/2005

$155,000,000

$44,555,157

31

7/22/1998

$125,000,000

$59,979,949

30

12/31/2003

$210,000,000

$95,640,019

30

5/28/2005

$215,000,000

$73,980,949

30

11/29/2006

$74,000,000

$20,353,503

25

8/21/2010

$80,000,000

$32,533,521

25

Some material courtesy of the Arkansas Lottery

Lottery Post Staff

Comments

sully16's avatarsully16

Congrats to all the winners, what a great evening for lottery players.Cheers

maringoman's avatarmaringoman

I'm curious about the time when more than 100 people bought their tickets following fortune cookie predictions and each hit the first 5 numbers.

I remember there was an urgent investigation followed by lots of laughs when the truth came out.Sad Cheers

Anyways, I missed out on yesterdays easy numbers because I buy them quick ppicks. I'm glad that lots of people won something.

tnhope's avatartnhope

CONGRATS TO THE WINNERS!!!!!!!!Smile

cope's avatarcope

5-10-11-12-20?

 

Three consecutive numbers?

 

I would never pick numbers like that......which probably explains why I don't win payouts like that.

TnTicketlosers's avatarTnTicketlosers

Now something like this is worth playing.

ttech10's avatarttech10

When I saw the numbers I had a feeling someone would win. They just looked like numbers that at least one person was bound to play.

Starr920

Now that's how a jackpot should be won - spread the wealth especially during the holiday season.

Congratulations to all the winnersSmiley Santa

RJOh's avatarRJOh

said Chuck Strutt, Executive Director of Powerball. "We assume that the wins came from players who chose their numbers by using birthdays, children's ages, or other important dates......"

Sounds like he thinks players picking their own numbers caused a higher amount of match5 payouts than usual.

dpoly1's avatardpoly1

Nice,

But they forgot to pick my numbers!

Roll Eyes

dpoly1's avatardpoly1

Quote: Originally posted by Starr920 on Dec 3, 2010

Now that's how a jackpot should be won - spread the wealth especially during the holiday season.

Congratulations to all the winnersSmiley Santa

Agree with stupid

It wasn't the Jackpot !?

The Jackpot was ONE ticket. Yikes! Wouldn't want that!

Abdi's avatarAbdi

what a night for the lottery players in the USA!

congratulations to the player who won $ 1 M.

Fraserm

If a lottery wants a better way to spread the wealth they should follow how Lotto Max is played in Canada.

savagegoose's avatarsavagegoose

only prob i had with the article is it didnt list the numbers that where drawn to produce all the historic masive  player wins

would have been nice.

 

anyhow gratz to all that win, and if i get a series of 3 numbers ill keep em, cuz u never know

dpoly1's avatardpoly1

Quote: Originally posted by Fraserm on Dec 5, 2010

If a lottery wants a better way to spread the wealth they should follow how Lotto Max is played in Canada.

Please ..........

if you want anything Canadian .......... move to Canada .......... just a request ............

I prefer how we do things in the U.S.A. ......... thank you!

US Flag

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