Kentucky

Kentucky’s first lottery millionaire of 2023 claims big Powerball prize

A Louisville man won $1 million playing Powerball this week.
A Louisville man won $1 million playing Powerball this week.

Kentucky Lottery announced the first millionaire of 2023 Wednesday, a Louisville man who won big playing Powerball.

The man, who state lottery officials said wants to remain anonymous, played for Monday’s jackpot.

His $1 million winning lottery ticket matched the first five white ball numbers, but not the Powerball, making him an instant millionaire. The winning numbers for Monday’s Powerball drawing are 7, 9, 12, 31, 62 and Powerball 22.

According to a Kentucky Lottery spokesperson, for the Mega Millions and Powerball jackpot prizes, the winner must claim the ticket within 180 days of the drawing.

After taxes, the man took home a $715,000 check, a Kentucky Lottery news release said. He told lottery officials he’d like to retire with the money.

“No more work for me, if I can help it,” he reportedly said.

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The man bought his winning ticket at Kroger on New Cut Road in Louisville. The retailer will get a $10,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.

Tickets for Wednesday’s $291 million Powerball jackpot drawing are $2 each and can be purchased online or at any Kentucky Lottery retailer until 10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Drawings are held at 11 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

Mega Millions continues to grow

Meanwhile, Kentucky Lottery also announced Wednesday there was no winner in Tuesday’s Mega Millions drawing. The Mega Millions jackpot is now reaching $1 billion.

The jackpot up for grabs Friday night stands at an estimated $940 million, with a cash option of $483.5 million. It’s the fourth largest jackpot in the game’s history, the Kentucky Lottery release said.

If you or someone you know has a problem with gambling, help is available at 1-800-522-4700.

Do you have a question about the lottery in Kentucky for our service journalism team? We’d like to hear from you. Fill out our Know Your Kentucky form or email ask@herald-leader.com.

This story was originally published January 4, 2023 at 2:10 PM.

Aaron Mudd
Lexington Herald-Leader
Aaron Mudd was a service journalism reporter for the Lexington Herald-Leader, Centre Daily Times and Belleville News-Democrat. He was based at the Herald-Leader in Lexington, and left the paper in February 2026. Support my work with a digital subscription
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