Long Beach Man Claims $785,065 Powerball Prize
Wednesday October 12th 2016A man from Long Beach is $785,065 richer after finally coming forward to collect a Powerball prize from the drawing on Saturday, July 30th. Erick Alexius was one of three players in the state to match five of the six numbers drawn to win a share of a $2.3 million prize.
The California resident purchased his Powerball ticket from a 7-Eleven store on Redondo Avenue prior to the July drawing. He had been out running errands when he called into a convenience store to pick up some water to quench his thirst. Before the 36-year-old made his way to the exit, he decided to buy a number of Quick Pick tickets for that night’s drawing, which was estimated to be worth over $478 million. Little did Erick know that one of his playslips would land him a sizeable six-figure sum!
Erick, who was just one number away from claiming the fifth-largest Powerball jackpot in history, was visiting a friend in hospital on the Monday following the drawing when he noticed the winning numbers listed on Facebook. The unsuspecting lottery winner also observed that one of the three second-prize winning tickets had been sold in Long Beach at the very store that he had visited before the draw. Despite this discovery, he waited until the next day to check the ticket.
“I lost the feeling in my hands,” Erick told California Lottery officials when he realised that he had won. However, celebrations were put on hold for more than a month as Erick followed the advice given to all Powerball winners and arranged meetings with a lawyer and a financial advisor to make sure everything was in order before he claimed the money. Upon collecting the prize, Long Beach’s latest winner said the first thing he would do is pay off his car.
Erick wasn’t the only lottery success story this week, as a single ticket holder from North Texas won a $49 million Mega Million prize on Tuesday evening. The win was confirmed by Texas Lottery officials via Twitter, with the ticket sold in Balch Springs in Dallas County. The lucky player matched the numbers 36, 39, 42, 45 and 48, with Mega Ball 3. There were a further three $1 million winners from Colorado, Virginia and Washington.
There are plenty of chances to claim your own big lottery prize this week as the Powerball jackpot sits at $107 million ahead of tonight’s drawing, while a Mega Millions top prize of $15 million will be up for grabs this Friday. You can play both lotteries by buying tickets from any authorized retailer in participating states and jurisdictions. Good luck!
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