Husband ‘nonchalantly’ tells wife he won Powerball prize. Her reaction was different
.jpg "A South Carolina wife said her husband didn’t act like their Powerball win was a big deal.")
A husband “nonchalantly” told his wife he won a Powerball prize — but her reaction was much different.
“I screamed ‘What?’” the wife told the South Carolina Education Lottery.
She was left in disbelief after the ticket matched all but one number picked in the Dec. 2 drawing. Since the couple spent an extra dollar on the Power Play option, their $50,000 prize doubled to $100,000, according to game rules.
“I can’t believe it,” the wife said in a March 14 news release.
The couple scored the big windfall after a trip to Sonny’s Citgo in Summerville, a roughly 25-mile drive northwest of Charleston. At the convenience store, officials said the two spent $3 on a ticket for the Powerball game.
The husband later checked the drawing numbers while his wife was sleeping. She woke up to news about their lucky prize.
“My husband, very nonchalantly, told me that we won $100,000,” she said.
It turns out, the couple’s ticket matched five of six numbers picked in the drawing — four white balls and the Powerball. But the ticket just missed the jackpot, which was an estimated $398 million the night of the drawing, according to the game’s website.
The couple kept $69,500 after taxes, lottery spokesperson Holli Armstrong told McClatchy News in an email. The two, who continue to play games regularly, weren’t identified in the news release.
It’s not the first time a South Carolina lottery player came close to hitting the jackpot. Recently, another Powerball winner claimed his $100,000 prize but hadn’t spent any of it, McClatchy News reported.
What to know about Powerball
To score a jackpot in the Powerball, a player must match all five white balls and the red Powerball.
The odds of scoring the jackpot prize are 1 in 292,201,338.
Tickets cost $2 and can be bought on the day of the drawing, but sales times vary by state.
Drawings are broadcast Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays at 10:59 p.m. ET and can be streamed online.
Powerball is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
This story was originally published March 15, 2024 at 12:23 PM with the headline "Husband ‘nonchalantly’ tells wife he won Powerball prize. Her reaction was different."
