2017 Press Releases

Daydreaming Leads to $50,000 Lottery Win for Smyrna Man

(DOVER, Del.) — While it may not be the $356 million jackpot, Smyrna resident Joseph Wilson Jr. is walking on sunshine after a trip to the store turned into a $50,000 POWERBALL® win. He correctly matched four of the five white-ball numbers, plus the POWERBALL®, in the August 12 drawing. Wilson, a 56-year-old married man with two children and eight grandchildren, normally spends $10 on tickets when jackpots are high, with the hope of bettering the life of his family and others. Now that he’s finally hit his first big win, he can start to put that money toward good use.

“I picked up my wife from work, and we headed to the store,” said Wilson, who is originally from Maryland but has been living in Delaware for about 25 years. “While we were driving, my wife started daydreaming about winning big, so we stopped off to get more Lottery tickets since the jackpot was high.”

He purchased four POWERBALL® tickets from Dot Discount Store #2 on Glenwood Avenue in Smyrna, where he normally buys his tickets. Wilson told Lottery officials that he won $2 on the first ticket, and nothing on the next two. But when he scanned the last ticket, it came up as a big winner. He scanned the winning ticket a couple more times, then had another customer look at it on the screen before finally having the clerk check it.

“I couldn’t believe it,” said Wilson. “I immediately went out to the car to get my wife so that we could scan the ticket together. We were both stunned.”

Concerned Citizens Organization (CCO) is a charity based out of Smyrna that helps underprivileged kids. It’s one of the places Wilson plans to donate his money to. In addition, he wants to replace a heating pump that recently broke, take his grandkids shopping for school clothes and supplies, and even get a puppy.

“I like playing the Lottery because for a couple dollars I get to dream for a couple days,” Wilson added.

The winning numbers from the August 12 drawing were 20, 24, 26, 25 and 49. The POWERBALL® number was 19, and the Power Play number was 2x. The married couple claimed the prize at Lottery Headquarters on Monday, August 14.

About the Delaware Lottery:
Since the start of operations in 1975, the Delaware Lottery has contributed more than $4.7 billion to the state’s General Fund to help finance needed state services that benefit everyone in Delaware. The Lottery offers a variety of games: POWERBALL®, MEGA MILLIONS®, HOT LOTTO®, MULTI-WIN LOTTO, LUCKY FOR LIFE®, PLAY 3, PLAY 4, Keno®, iGaming and assorted Instant Games, Video Lottery, Sports Lottery and Table Games. Delaware Lottery game and promotional details are available at delottery.com, at licensed locations, and from the Lottery’s office in Dover.

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