Kentucky

Louisville man triples his Powerball winnings for $150,000 prize. See how he did it

A Louisville man initially won $50,000 playing the Kentucky Lottery. He used the game’s Power Play feature to multiply his winnings three times to $150,000. The image here shows "$150,000 Winner!" in big letters and it's marked with Kentucky Lottery and Powerball branding.
A Louisville man initially won $50,000 playing the Kentucky Lottery. He used the game’s Power Play feature to multiply his winnings three times to $150,000. Kentucky Lottery

A Louisville man who Kentucky Lottery officials said wishes to remain anonymous tripled his Powerball winnings, ultimately hitting it big with a $150,000 prize.

In a Kentucky Lottery news release, the agency said the man did it with a unique feature of the game.

“It was my first time playing Power Play,” the man said, according to the Kentucky Lottery. “I really wasn’t even sure how it worked. Fortunately, I played it this time.”

By paying one extra dollar per play, players can add the Power Play feature, according to the Powerball’s rules. Once added, winnings — other than the jackpot — are multiplied by a number.

After purchasing a Powerball ticket online, the man matched four white ball numbers and the red Powerball, which won him the game’s $50,000 prize. Ultimately, however, he won $150,000 because his winnings were multiplied by three.

The man participated in the game’s July 8 drawing. The winning numbers for that drawing were 20-22-31-33-45 with a Powerball of 1.

According to the release, the man learned he’d won the following day when he checked his email.

“I looked and saw Kentucky Lottery and thought it was another promotional thing,” he said. “I opened it and it said, ‘Congratulations.’ It really set my mind off, I read down to the second line, and it said, ‘$150,000!’”

The man’s wife was initially incredulous when her husband told her the news. He had to show her a screenshot of the official lottery email.

“Okay, maybe it is true,” she said. “He’s pretty lucky.”

After taxes, the man took home a check for $108,000. The man and his wife now plan to retire and enjoy their winnings.

Do you have a question about the lottery in Kentucky for our service journalism team? Send us an email at ask@herald-leader.com or fill out our Know Your Kentucky form.

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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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