BEGINNER’S LUCK: Woman Scoops USD 1m On First-Ever Lottery Ticket

An astonished lucky punter has told how she scooped a cool USD 1 million on the lottery on her first-ever time playing.

Joni Thompson (middle) poses in an undated photo. Joni Thompson, a Mecosta County woman, found out she won a USD 1 million Powerball prize from the Michigan Lottery in Michigan, U. S. (Michigan Lottery Connect/Newsflash)

Joni Thompson of Stanwood, Michigan, USA secured the amazing win in the drawing on 8th November.

The 54-year-old said she had decided to buy a ticket after seeing that the jackpot was more than USD 1 billion (GBP 838 million).

Following the drawing, she had noticed a post on social media about USD 1 million (GBP 838,000) being won in Mecosta County.

She had quickly realised that she was, in fact, the winner, prompting her to start “hyperventilating, screaming, and crying”.

She told Michigan Lottery Connect: “I am still speechless.”

Thompson plans to use some of her winnings to build her new business and to save the rest.

In a statement obtained by Newsflash, Michigan Lottery Connect said: “Beginner’s luck proved true for a Mecosta County woman who won a $1 million Powerball prize her first time ever playing.

“Joni Thompson, of Stanwood, matched the five white balls in the Nov. 8 drawing to win the big prize: 10-33-41-47-56. She bought her winning ticket at Country Corner Supermarket, located at 10039 Buchanan Road in Stanwood. Stanwood is about 35 miles west of Mount Pleasant.”

Joni said: “I’d never played Powerball before, but I decided to purchase a ticket after seeing the jackpot was over $1 billion. After the drawing, I saw a social media post about a $1 million prize being won in Mecosta county, so went to the Lottery site to write down the winning numbers and then checked my ticket.

“When I realized I’d matched five numbers and was the big winner, I started hyperventilating, screaming, and crying! I had my son scan my ticket on his Lottery app to make sure I was reading it right. It’s hard to describe what it feels like to win $1 million; I am still speechless!”

The statement continued: “Thompson, 54, recently visited Lottery headquarters to claim her prize. She plans to use her winnings to build her new business and then save the remainder.”