For V. Godinez of Carlsbad, winning the latest $100,000 Powerball prize in New Mexico resulted from merely stopping for a soda after his work shift.
Godinez covers the southeast region of New Mexico employed as an audio/visual technician for a Texas company. When he finished his work in Roswell, Godinez stopped at an Allsups Convenience Store for a soda. While making his purchase he noticed the photos of New Mexico Lottery winners posted in the store. Thats when Godinez decided to use the extra dollar he had to purchase a single Powerball ticket for that nights drawing.
Godinez ended up winning the games second prize by matching five of the six numbers drawn in the September 15 Powerball drawing. The winning numbers were 1-8-17-28-50, with a Powerball of 20. Godinezs Powerball was 13, missing that nights jackpot of $72.7 million.
The winner discovered he had won when he called the Lotterys player hotline the following morning to obtain the winning numbers.
"I couldnt believe it," the winner told lottery officials. "I only buy a ticket about once a month."
The winner was accompanied by his wife and eight-year old daughter when he redeemed the winning ticket at Lottery headquarters in Albuquerque. The couple said the only plans they have for the prize are to use some of it on a family trip to Arizona and possibly toward a honeymoon they never had.
The winning ticket was sold at Ailsups Convenience Store #335, located 2501 N. Main Street in Roswell. As part of the New Mexico Lotterys Retailer Incentive Plan, Ailsups is eligible for a $1,000 bonus for selling a winning $100,000 Powerball ticket. That same store has also sold eight other large winning tickets ranging from $1,000 to $16,000.
Nearly 970 Eddy County high school graduates have received Lottery Success Scholarships to attend college in New Mexico, worth more than $2.4 million in tuition assistance. Nearly 240 of those students have already graduated from college. Students at New Mexico State University-Carlsbad campus have received $393,000 in Lottery-funded tuition assistance.
More than 27,000 students so far have benefited from the Lottery Success Scholarship since the program began in 1997. Based on sales through the end of August, the Lotterys upcoming September transfer of funds has already raised more than $221.1 million for New Mexico education since 1996, now earmarked entirely for the Lottery Success Scholarship.
Carl's Bad??