Michigan man James Allen recently won $200,000 in the Powerball lottery by playing his children's birthdays as his lucky numbers. Allen, 63, purchased his winning ticket on December 28 in Auburn Hills, Michigan. When the drawing took place on December 30, four of Allen's ticket numbers matched the winning digits, along with the Powerball number. Initially, Allen believed he had won $50,000 but was pleasantly surprised to discover that the "Power Play" option had multiplied his prize by four.
The "Power Play" option can be added to any Powerball ticket for an extra dollar, and it multiplies non-jackpot prizes up to a maximum payout of $2 million. Powerball tickets are sold for $2 each. Allen shared that he always uses his children's birthdays as his chosen numbers when playing Powerball. He stated that many players have specific sets of numbers that hold special meaning to them.
Allen plans to use his winnings to pay off bills. His strategy of using children's birthdays as lottery numbers is not uncommon, according to Jake Harris, a spokesperson for the Michigan Lottery. Harris emphasized that every player has a chance to win life-changing cash regardless of the numbers they choose.
Powerball is a nationwide lottery game available in every state except Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah. The game's jackpots start at $20 million, with the largest ever jackpot of $2.04 billion awarded in November 2022. Proceeds from the Michigan Lottery contribute to the state's schools through the Michigan School Aid Fund.