For the Feb. 27 Powerball® drawing, the loyal lottery players - Ritchey of Edgewood and Cozby of Moriarty - followed their normal routine.  They purchased a quick pick set of numbers for $1 and then they spent $1 more to add Power Play ® to their wager.  Power Play multiples non-jackpot Powerball prizes two, three, four or five times.

After the drawing, the friends discovered their prize and then an even bigger prize.  The numbers on their ticket matched four of the five winning white ball numbers - 24, 37, 48, and 53 - and the red Powerball number of 11.  The combination entitled them to a $10,000 prize.  Then the two men realized that the number five was drawn as the night’s Power Play multiplier and their total prize was the much larger sum of $50,000. 

As employees of a store where lottery products are sold, Ritchey and Cozby said they always remind Powerball players to purchase the Power Play feature.  It’s good advice they follow when they play Powerball themselves.

The two men have not decided how to spend their fivefold windfall, but they plan to continue playing both Powerball and Hot Lotto and to always spend the extra buck on the multiplier features.

“You could break even or you could make a couple of bucks,” Ritchey said.  “Either way, your money is going toward education.

Ritchey and Cozby bought their winning ticket at Moriarty Chevron Xpress at 1607 Route 66 W. in Moriarty.  This lottery retailer has sold 14 other large prize-winning tickets ranging between $1,000 and $25,000.

Power Play 10X Promotion

During April, Powerball players who purchase the Power Play feature will have a chance to multiply their prizes by 10.  A $200,000 second-prize ticket would multiply into $2 million.

The Power Play 10X promotion begins with the March 30 Powerball drawing and runs through the April 30 drawing.  If the 10X multiplier is not selected during that time, the promotion will continue until the 10 multiplier is drawn.

$344 Million Raised for Education

Since its inception in 1996, the lottery has raised $344 million for public education in New Mexico and more than 48,000 students have received Legislative Lottery Scholarships. As of the Spring 2007 semester, more than 350 high school graduates from Torrance County have received $1.5 million in Legislative Lottery Scholarships.  More than 3,200 students from Santa Fe County have received $13 million in scholarships.  

Information on Legislative Lottery Scholarships is available at www.nmlottery.com.