A man who never plays the lottery because he thinks it’s a waste of time scooped a cool USD 150,000 on his first-ever game.
Danny Johnson of Hampton, Virginia, USA told how he was ‘hounded’ into buying the Powerball ticket and ended up matching all but one number.
He has not decided what he will spend the cash on but hinted he would treat the friend who convinced him to buy the winning ticket.
In a statement obtained by Newsflash, Virginia Lottery said: “Danny Johnson of Hampton is one of those people who tells people they’re wasting their time playing lottery games.
“He may not be saying that anymore.
“As the Powerball jackpot was growing to historic proportions in early November, a friend started hounding him, telling him he should get in the game. So finally, just to quiet his friend, Mr. Johnson bought a ticket for the November 5 drawing. It was the first time he’d ever played Powerball.
“That ticket ended up winning $150,000 [GBP 124,000].
“The winning numbers in that drawing were 28-45-53-56-69, and the Powerball number was 20. His ticket matched four of the first five winning numbers plus the Powerball number. Normally, that wins $50,000. However, he spent an extra dollar for Power Play when he bought the ticket. Power Play tripled the prize to $150,000.”
Danny told Virginia Lottery officials: “I looked at the winning numbers and said, ‘Hey I’ve got a few of those!’
“I didn’t know how much I’d won because I never play.”
The statement continued: “He bought his ticket online using his personal device. The Virginia Lottery gives players the ability to play Powerball and many other drawing games online, along with dozens of instant games available only online.
“Mr. Johnson, who is retired, said he has no immediate plans for his winnings. However, he said he may have a surprise coming for the friend who hounded him into buying the ticket.
“Powerball drawings are held at 10:59 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. The odds of matching all six numbers to win the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million. The overall odds of winning any Powerball prize are 1 in 25.
“All Virginia Lottery profits go to K-12 education in Virginia. Mr. Johnson lives in Hampton, which received more than $21.1 million in Lottery funds for K-12 education last fiscal year. In Fiscal Year 2022, the Lottery raised more than $779 million for K-12 education, making up approximately 10 percent of Virginia’s total K-12 school budget.”
