Woman speechless after winning $1 million Powerball jackpot prize on her first try
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It only took one ticket on her first ever Powerball game for for Joni Thompson to dance away with a $1 million jackpot prize.
The delighted winner from Stanwood, Michigan, said: “I’d never played Powerball before, but I decided to purchase a ticket after seeing the jackpot was over $1 billion.”
That game also went on to reach a record-breaking $2.04 billion jackpot amount.
Joni was just the power ball number 10 away from getting the full $2.04 billion.
Her beginner’s luck ticket matched the five white balls drawn on Monday, Nov. 7: 10-33-41-47-56.
Thompson, 54, told the Michigan lottery officials. “After the drawing, I saw a social media post about a $1 million prize being won in Mecosta County.”
She went to the lottery website to write down the winning numbers and then checked her ticket.
When Joni realized she had matched five numbers and had won a major prize, she said “I started hyperventilating, screaming, and crying!”
To double-check the results she had her son scan the ticket on his phone’s lottery app to make sure.
“It’s hard to describe what it feels like to win $1 million; I am still speechless!” she said.
Joni bought her ticket at the Country Corner Supermarket, also known to locals as Hixson's Family Market at 10039 Buchanan Road in Canadian Lakes, near Big Rapids.
When asked how she would spend her windfall, Joni planned to build her new business and put the balance in a savings account.
ABOUT: Powerball plays may be purchased for $2 each at lottery retailers across the state and online at MichiganLottery.com.
A “Power Play” option that multiplies non-jackpot prizes by up to 10 times to a maximum of $2 million may be added to any Powerball play for only $1. For an additional $1 per play, Double Play may be added to a Powerball ticket, giving players a second chance to win up to $10 million in the nightly Double Play drawing.
DRAW TIMES: The Powerball drawing takes place at 10:59 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday and may be watched live online at powerball.com. Powerball tickets are sold in 45 states, Washington D.C., U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.
