Someone in Michigan woke up this morning finding themselves $842 million richer. A single Powerball ticket matched all six numbers in the drawing held on January 2nd to win the fourth largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history. While the winner has not yet come forward, store employees where the golden ticket was sold are celebrating today
Img Credit: – Flickr | Creator: Henita May
Winning Numbers Announced
The winning numbers for the January 2nd Powerball drawing were 2, 11, 22, 35, 60, and the red Powerball 23. The odds of hitting all six numbers to win the jackpot are incredibly small—just one in 292.2 million. So when the results were announced early Wednesday morning, it was likely the winner didn’t believe their eyes at first.
Ticket Sold in Suburban Detroit
The prized ticket was sold at a Kroger supermarket in Novi, Michigan—part of the Detroit metropolitan area. The store manager was notified that one of their shoppers became a multi-millionaire overnight thanks to the ticket they sold. “It’s exciting to have sold such an important jackpot-winning Powerball ticket,” he told reporters. His staff celebrated by passing out pastries this morning.
$42,000 Bonus for Selling Retailer
While the mysterious winner in Michigan has yet to reveal themselves or their plans for the money, some people’s lives have already changed thanks to this Powerball jackpot. The Kroger store that sold the golden ticket receives a $50,000 bonus. Part of that goes to the retailer, and the rest is shared among staff members. So in addition to pastries, employees at the Novi Kroger store are getting an extra financial bonus thanks to their lucky customer.
One Powerball Jackpot Remains
With the January 2nd Powerball jackpot now claimed, all eyes turn to the Mega Millions lottery. An even bigger $785 million jackpot is still up for grabs in Friday night’s drawing. Lottery hopefuls often buy tickets for both Powerball and Mega Millions to increase their chances each week. So, while the Powerball series is resetting to $20 million, Mega Millions continues gaining steam. Time will tell if we see another massive jackpot claimed next week!
