Bill Spinks
A local customer who left a Midlothian store with a Powerball ticket for Saturday’s nationwide drawing waked up as a millionaire the next day by matching enough winning numbers to be able to claim a $1 million prize.
The second-tier winning ticket was sold at the Murphy USA gas station at 100 Walton Drive, according to the Texas Lottery. The winning numbers were 11-23-44-61-62 and a Powerball of 17.
The local winning ticket hit on the first five numbers but missed the Powerball. A total of three Texas players got the first five numbers right; the other two were in Austin and Tyler, the Texas Lottery said. The Tyler winner chose the multiplier and won $2 million.
The unknown winners have 180 days from the drawing date to claim their prize, according to lottery rules.
As a result of selling the triumphant ducat, the Murphy USA store also stands to win a significant prize, according to the lottery.
Midlothian has seen good luck twice in about a two-month span already. An Arlington resident who wished to remain anonymous won $1 million in a scratch-off game purchased at the QuikTrip on FM 663 in July.
For Saturday’s national Powerball drawing, winning tickets that got all six numbers right for a full payout were sold in Fredericksburg and also in Missouri. The two winners will split a $1.8 billion grand prize, the third-largest pot in lottery history.
The Texas Wine Country winner has already opted for a lump sum “cash option value” estimated at about $410 million before taxes. Most winners choose the cash up front, but the lottery also pays out in 30 annual graduated installments.
In recent years, Ellis County has seen some sizeable lottery winners but is still waiting for The Big One.
In 2021, a ticket in the Mega Millions contest was sold at a convenience store in Ferris, with five correct numbers resulting in a $1 million payout. In 2019, a Palmer resident who chose to remain anonymous claimed a prize worth $3 million in a Texas Lottery scratch-off game. That game was sold at a store in Red Oak.
According to Lottery USA, the odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are one in 302.6 million and the odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are one in 292.2 million.
