One quick stop at a neighborhood shop in Fitzgerald just turned into a seven-figure story for one very lucky Powerball player.
A convenience store in the small Ben Hill County town sold a $1 million ticket in Saturday night’s Powerball drawing. The winner hit all five white balls but missed the red Powerball, which is the combo that triggers the $1 million prize level. The top jackpot was not hit, so the game will roll on to the next drawing.
According to WSB-TV, the Georgia Lottery confirmed that the winning ticket was purchased at the Lil Pantry on S. Sherman Street in Fitzgerald. The station reports the ticket matched all five white numbers but missed the Powerball.
The numbers and the payout
The winning ticket matched white balls 8, 37, 40, 44 and 65 and missed Powerball 18, which locks in the $1 million prize for matching five numbers, according to the official results page from Powerball. The posted results for the May 16 drawing also show the full prize tiers for the game.
How to claim and what winners should know
If you are holding that ticket, there are a few rules you cannot ignore. Winners of prizes greater than $601 must claim in person at Georgia Lottery headquarters or a district office, and federal and state income tax withholdings apply to prizes over $5,000, according to the claim guidance from the Georgia Lottery.
The Georgia Lottery notes that online-ticket winners have 180 days from the drawing date to claim their prize, while scratch-game winners have 90 days. Miss those windows and the money is gone.
Where the ticket was sold
State licensing records from the Georgia Lottery list Lil Pantry #9 at 801 S. Sherman St. in Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, as the retailer tied to the winning ticket. The store’s listing appears in official licensing documents, and the sale is likely to draw some extra local attention to the small neighborhood shop.
Next drawing
With no one hitting the jackpot in Saturday’s drawing, Monday’s Powerball drawing is set to offer an advertised jackpot of $100 million with an estimated cash option of about $43.9 million, per Powerball. The Georgia Lottery also reminds players to sign the back of their ticket and keep it secure until a claim is made, just in case lightning strikes again in Fitzgerald.
