Woman plays Powerball for first time, ends up winning $1M prize
By Joseph Buczek
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DETROIT, Michigan (WWJ) — A Detroit woman played the Powerball for the first time on a whim and ended up walking away with a $1 million prize.
Sharonda Blunt, 44, matched the five white balls in the Sept. 1 drawing: 08-23-25-40-53.
Blunt said a conversation with a fellow customer while waiting in line at a Grosse Pointe pharmacy sparked her curiosity.
“I was talking to a guy in line at the store and he was telling me about the Powerball game and he bought a ticket, so I told the cashier to give me one too,” said Blunt in a statement. “A few days later, I was with my family and my aunt mentioned that a $1 million Powerball prize was won at the CVS in Grosse Pointe. It got me thinking, so I took out my ticket and had her read off the winning numbers.
“When she read five of my numbers, I grabbed her phone to see for myself and then started screaming and hollering when I saw I won $1 million. Winning a prize like this is truly a blessing.”
Blunt bought the winning ticket at the CVS Pharmacy at 18585 East Warren Avenue.
“Beginners luck proved true for Sharonda Blunt who purchased her first Powerball ticket ever after hearing about the game while in line at the store and then won a $1 million prize!” said Michigan Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli in a statement. “The prize was won during the recent Powerball jackpot run where the jackpot reached a staggering $1.78 billion. During the jackpot run, Michigan Lottery players won more than $12.5 million in prizes.”
Powerball tickets can be purchased for $2 apiece. A Power Play option multiplies non-jackpot prizes by up to 10 times, with a maximum of $2 million added for $1. For another $1, a Double Play can be added to a Powerball ticket, giving a player a second chance to win up to $10 million in the nightly Double Play drawings.
The Powerball drawing is held at 10:59 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
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