In this Powerball winner story, one woman gets a “sign” that inspires her to buy a ticket that proves to be a multi-million dollar winner.
Whenever you plan any game of chance, there's a strong belief in the concept of luck. And in some instances, especially when playing Powerball, players can subscribe to superstitions. Powerball players choose their numbers according to their astrological signs, numbers that represent special occasions, and numbers that carry significance to them personally in the hopes those valuable digits might lead them to a jackpot win. In this latest Powerball winner story from earlier this year, one woman chose to play Powerball after getting a “sign.” And it paid off in a big way.
Becky Bell Was Just Doing Some Routine Shopping
In March of this year, Becky Bell of Auburn, Washington, was out grocery shopping with her daughter. She was browsing the aisles at her local Fred Meyer store. It would have been an ordinary shopping experience, that is until she noticed the Washington Lottery’s vending machine. On display were the anticipated jackpots for all the local drawings, including the upcoming Powerball drawing. She would occasionally play Powerball. But something caught her attention at this kiosk advertisement on this day.
The Sign That Prompted Her Powerball Ticket Purchase
Not normally impulsed, Becky Bell stopped in her tracks in front of the vending machine. It was then that Bell said it “hit her.” The Powerball jackpot was posted to be $747 million. And for Bell, that trio of numbers carried more significant meaning. To her, it was a sign to play, inspiring her to buy a Powerball ticket on the spot.
For more than 35 years, Bell worked for The Boeing Company as a Supply Chain Analyst. And one of the most recent projects she’d worked on was the 747 jumbo jet. In fact, it was only days earlier that she’d been part of a recent delivery of a 747 jet. The coincidence was too big to ignore. And Becky Bell took it as a sign to buy a Powerball ticket.
Sole Winner of the Fifth Largest Jackpot Ever
Becky Bell’s sign proved to be well-founded. Her numbers that day were 5, 11, 22, 23, 69, and the Powerball 7. And those numbers matched, earning her a Powerball jackpot total of $754,550,826. It marked Washington State’s largest-ever sole winning Powerball jackpot. And it became Powerball’s fifth-largest jackpot. Bell hadn't immediately recognized that she'd won. But after scanning her tickets and receiving the prompt that she'd won something and to further contact her local official lottery office, she knew something big was about to happen.
Planning to Retire
Bell said, “I’ve never won more than $20 ever.” And when she learned she’d won, you can imagine her surprise. She’d already been planning to retire from The Boeing Company this summer. So, she’d already been training her on-the-job replacements. Upon winning the Powerball jackpot, Bell insisted she’d stay on to follow through with her training.
Benefitting the Auburn, Washington, Community
Becky Bell laughs and still recognizes that Powerball ticket-buying moment as a sign. Her grocery store got a selling bonus of $50,000 for having sold the ticket in that lottery vending machine. And the Fred Meyer store announced shortly after it would be donating the entire bonus amount to the local Auburn Food Bank. The money, as part of the store’s “Zero Hunger” initiative, would feed roughly 66,000 meals among the community. And the company's parent company, Kroeger, donated $10,000 to the store's staff to celebrate the momentous occasion.
Becky Bell believed she had a sign that led her to play Powerball that day. And it proved to be a win for everyone involved. What will your Powerball winner story be? Get out there and play and write your own Powerball story based on whatever beliefs you have.