In a surprising twist of fate, a Michigan man James Allen bagged a $200,000 Powerball prize after opting to play his kids’ birthdays as his lottery numbers.
The 63-year-old resident of Commerce Township initially believed he had won a $50,000 prize only to discover later that the Powerball’s Power Play had quadrupled his winnings.
Allen’s unique approach to selecting his lottery numbers has now paid off significantly.
“Every time I play Powerball, I pick my kids’ birthdays. This time, it really paid off,” he revealed.
However he did not disclose the number of children he has or their ages, nor did he express any plans to share a portion of the winnings with them.
The Powerball drawing took place on Dec. 30, and the winning numbers were 10, 11, 26, 27, and 34, with the Powerball number being 7. The Power Play number was 4. Allen successfully matched four white balls and the Powerball number leading to his substantial win.
Allen purchased his winning ticket from Hoops Food, Sport, and Spirits, located at 2705 Lapeer Road in Auburn Hills. The optional Power Play feature, which Allen had added for an extra $1 per play, multiplies the prize up to 10 times excluding the jackpot prize or prizes exceeding $2 million.
Upon waking up and realizing his actual winnings Allen stated,
“I checked my ticket and went to bed thinking I had won $50,000 because I forgot about the Powerplay add-on game. When I woke up in the morning, I checked again and realized I had actually won $200,000!”
Allen recently visited the Michigan Lottery office to claim his prize. When asked about his plans for the winnings he shared a simple and relatable plan – paying his bills.
