LottoSmile Player Wins US$1M in Historic Powerball Draw
The lottery jackpot world record was broken on 13 January 2016, when three winning tickets split the US$1.58 BILLION Powerball jackpot. While we've yet to crown a lottery billionaire, one of our players from El Salvador won the US$1 million 2nd prize in this record-setting draw!
The Player Who Feels Like (and Is Worth) a Million Bucks!
Millions of players in the US were queuing in long lines for Powerball tickets as the jackpot climbed past US$1 billion. One of our players, H from El Salvador, decided to play it smart, save time, and join LottoSmile instead!
The 73-year-old actually worked in the US for decades but moved back to El Salvador to retire, as money goes a lot further in El Salvador than in the US. The pensioner is also a father, grandfather, and great grandfather! Family is very important to him and played a vital role in his US$1 million win. H told us that his father used to tell him that if you want to win the lottery, all you need to do is play (we love that philosophy)!
H bought a three-line Powerball ticket with mostly random numbers. He said that he only chose the Powerball on purpose because he had a dream featuring the number 15. Unfortunately his subconscious didn't choose 10, the correct number. His dreams literally came true, however, when our representative called H and told him his other five numbers matched, winning him the US$1 million second prize!
How did he take the news? He couldn't believe it and felt the need to call out "I won!" The first thing he did after learning of his new millionaire status was to call his son and share the good news. The first thing he bought with the winnings was a TV.
Our new Powerball millionaire says this win will change his life for the better, freeing him of debts and money problems. H plans to travel with his prize money, since he's always been interested in seeing other countries and cultures. We wish H all the best on his future adventures!
The Winning and Record-Smashing Draw
H not only won US$1 million, but he became a part of lottery history by playing for, at the time, world's largest ever jackpot. US Powerball smashed the record previously held by Mega Millions -- US$656 million won in 2012 – when the jackpot rolled over for countless draws, culminating in a US$1.58 BILLION jackpot on 13 January 2016. The winning numbers for the 13 January draw were 4, 8, 19, 27, 34 and Powerball 10. Three ticket holders in Tennessee, California, and Florida split the prize that night for a total of US$528.8 million each before tax. The record jackpot comes on the heels of Powerball rule changes made in 2015, which decreased the odds of winning the jackpot and thus increasing the odds of a huge jackpot.
Not the First Time, Not the Last
H is not our first US$1 million Powerball winner. In May 2012, a player from the UK – B.U – won the second prize and was flown to Florida to claim his winnings. We hope to celebrate more and more LottoSmile millionaires in the future!