‘Couldn’t believe it!’ Michigan man wins big after playing Powerball for first time

Having never played the Powerball lottery game before, a Michigan man said he was inspired to do so after seeing the jackpot cross $1 billion earlier this fall.

Avery Williams bought his first tickets for the Nov. 5 drawing — and while he did not win the jackpot, he did win a big prize, according to a Nov. 28 news release from the Michigan Lottery.

“I was getting ready for work the morning after the drawing and remembered I had to check my tickets,” the 27-year-old from Burton told lottery officials. “I logged in to my Lottery account and knew I’d won big as soon as I saw my account balance. I couldn’t believe it!”

Williams matched four white balls and the Powerball with numbers 28-45-53-56-69 PB:20, officials said. Those matches qualified him for a $50,000 prize.

But because he added the Power Play option, his prize was multiplied by three for a grand total of $150,000.

“Winning is a huge relief and will allow me to do things I otherwise would not have been able to,” Williams said.

He plans to remodel his home and invest with his winnings, according to the release. After taxes, Williams took home about $108,000.

His winning ticket was bought online at MichiganLottery.com.

This story was originally published November 28, 2022 at 10:12 AM with the headline "‘Couldn’t believe it!’ Michigan man wins big after playing Powerball for first time."