Powerball grows to $900M, but 3 Kentuckians hold big winning tickets from July 15 draw
Kentuckians can play for not one, but two growing lottery jackpots with a combined total of more than $1.5 billion.
Now up to an estimated $900 million, your chances are about 1 in 292 million of winning Monday night’s Powerball jackpot. It’s the game’s third-largest ever jackpot and the seventh-largest in U.S. lottery history, according to the Associated Press.
The odds of winning Tuesday night’s $640 million Mega Millions draw are even steeper at 1 in 302.5 million.
Despite that, at least three Kentuckians won big during Saturday’s Powerball drawing. Here’s where each of the three winning tickets were sold and how much they’re worth.
Recent Kentucky Powerball winners
The Powerball drawing Saturday night did not yield a jackpot winner, which pushed the jackpot to its $900 million sum, according to AP.
The winning numbers for the July 15 drawing were 2, 9, 43, 55, 57 and Powerball 18.
Still, the run has produced many winners for the game’s smaller prizes. In Kentucky, these include three winners who purchased tickets worth $50,000. One of the three chose to pay an extra dollar for the game’s Power Play, which multiplies winnings, except from the jackpot. They include the following:
$100,000 Powerball with Power Play winner: The Shell gas station at 1005 Lemons Mill Road in Georgetown sold this winning ticket.
$50,000 Powerball winner: Best Stop Food Mart at 7920 Highway 60 in Ekron sold this winning ticket.
$50,000 Powerball winner: The First String Family Rest & Pub at 5921 New Cut Road Louisville sold this winning ticket.
Powerball drawings take place at 10:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. The drawing is streamed live on the game’s official website.
What should you do if you win the lottery in Kentucky?
It depends on how much you’ve won.
For the smallest cash prizes, those can be claimed directly at a participating Kentucky Lottery retailer. The place where you bought the winning ticket may be easiest for you, but you can claim your winnings at any Kentucky Lottery retailer.
If you played online, prizes up to $600 are deposited into your online account. Prizes greater than $600 will prompt an email with instructions for how to process your claim and collect your winnings.
Should you win the jackpot, you’ll need to make a trip to Kentucky Lottery headquarters in Louisville.
In the case of a jackpot win, your next big decision will be whether to take the lump sum or annuity (annual payments). Most choose to take the lump sum, however, according to financial website SmartAsset, annuity payments typically end up being a larger amount and may be taxed at a lower rate.
If you or someone you know has a problem gambling, help is available at 1-800-522-4700.
Do you have a question about the lottery in Kentucky for our service journalism team? We’d like to hear from you. Fill out our Know Your Kentucky form or email ask@herald-leader.com.
