A Louisiana family came painfully close to snagging Monday night’s massive $1.1 billion jackpot, but still walked away with a sweet six-figure prize, according to a report.
John Stokes bought his Powerball ticket on Monday at Billie’s Wag-A-Bag in Deridder, a Louisiana Lottery spokesperson told KPLCTV.
Later that night, he and his family checked the numbers — only to learn they were just one number shy of the $1.1 billion Powerball prize, the outlet said.
Stokes had matched four of the five white ball numbers and the red Powerball. Due to adding the “Power Play” option, his winnings tripled, landing his family a $150,000 consolation prize.
“We were shocked and feel so blessed,” Stokes said when claiming the prize alongside his family.
No one claimed Monday’s jackpot or the larger $1.44 billion Powerball drawing on Wednesday — sending the prize money soaring even higher and inching ever closer to the record set in 2022.
The jackpot now stands at an estimated $1.7 billion after no one beat the staggering 1-in-292 million odds after Wednesday’s drawing.
Even though the grand prize was unclaimed, four Match 5 + Power Play ticket holders won $2 million prizes, and 11 people pocketed $1 million through Match 5.
The next Powerball drawing will take place on Saturday.
Whoever does win could either choose to accept a single lump-sum payment of approximately $770.3 million, excluding the chunk chewed up by taxes, or receive an annuity payment followed by 29 annual premiums increasing by 5% each time.
No one has clinched a Powerball win since May 31, making way for an enviable prize that keeps stacking up.
The highest-ever payout was $2.04 billion in 2022.
Read the full article here