In the game of Powerball, there is almost always a “first” in the headlines, including this latest Kentucky Powerball winner story of the state’s first Double Play winner.
For one lucky Kentuckian who wishes to remain anonymous, their whole life just got a little richer. This Powerball winner came forward with a winning ticket from the June 24th drawing, a whopping $10 million.This win was also the first for Kentucky as a state. The June 24th drawing resulted in the Bluegrass State’s first Powerball Double Play top prize winner.Here’s more about this amazing Powerball winner story of firsts.
‘A creature of habit’ and morning routine turned lucky
The anonymous winner says they typically prefer to purchase their tickets from a local authorized retailer. The winner also told officials that they’re a “creature of habit,” routinely purchasing Powerball tickets before going to work. This Kentuckian isn’t particularly partial to adding Double Play, but on that day, a popup on the screen asking to “add the Double Play” feature made sense. The winner went on to say, “I’m sure glad I did,” since that added feature made the win doubly sweet.
The winning Powerball ticket and drawing details
The winning numbers in this drawing were 1-31-33-54-60 and the Powerball 26. The Powerball winner couldn’t believe it when a notification on their phone said someone had won the Powerball on a Double Play ticket. Stunned, the winner wrote down the winning numbers and looked at their ticket.
“I sat there for about ten minutes looking at the numbers and looking at my ticket, and it was right,” the winner says, and with overwhelming joy, realized they could finally retire!This lucky winner from Kentucky sought financial and legal assistance over the next few weeks. The prize was substantial, a whopping $7.2 million after taxes. They’re looking forward to retiring and traveling with their winnings.
Kentucky Powerball celebrates a new ‘first’
The Kentucky Lottery only recently added the Double Play feature for its statewide players in November 2023. KY officials said they were thrilled about the Double Play win, both for the player and the authorized retailer. As President and CEO of the Kentucky Lottery, Mary Harville, stated, it certainly “didn’t take long,” referring to the history-making Powerball Double Play win and top prize.
Other states that offer Double Play
Currently, 23 jurisdictions in the U.S. offer Double Play as an add-on feature, but others can choose to include this feature in the future. These jurisdictions include:
- Colorado
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Idaho
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kentucky
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
- Puerto Rico
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- U.S. Virgin Islands
- Washington
The Double Play Difference
Powerball Double Play has only been available since 2021, and Powerball winners keep popping up across the country. While this is the first for Kentucky, there have been others in Maryland, Florida, and even South Carolina.
Double Play allows players in certain jurisdictions to enter a separate draw in hopes of matching their numbers to winning numbers. The top cash prize is $10 million for Double Play draws. Double Play is also convenient to add to your Powerball ticket for just $1 more.
Does Double Play increase your odds of winning?
Powerball players should know that the odds of winning are still the same. Because there are two pools of independent numbers are the same, Double Play won't change the chances, essentially keeping the playing field level for all who play.
That extra buck might just be your ticket to retiring early, traveling the world, and making some dreams come true. If you’ve been thinking of adding Double Play to your next Powerball Ticket, there’s never been a better time to start. When you do play Double Play, stay tuned after the broadcast drawing. Regular Powerball drawings are featured at 10:59 PM EST and the Double Play drawing is estimated to draw between 11:25 PM and 11:35PM. You might just find yourself as lucky as this latest Kentucky winner.