‘Thrilled’: NYC Powerball winner claims $2 million prize inspired by scripture

NEW YORK (PIX11) – A New York City Army veteran won  a $2 million Powerball prize based on numbers chosen from scripture, lottery officials announced Tuesday.

The veteran, a spiritual person, chose his numbers based on Jewish scripture, where numbers often carry a deep meaning, the lottery winner told officials.

A longtime city resident, the lucky New Yorker purchased his ticket online at Jackpot.com. He matched five Powerball numbers from the Aug. 5 draw to win his prize.  The numbers were 29, 42, 44, 51, and 54; the Powerball was 12.

“We are thrilled to congratulate the winner on his incredible $2 million win—the biggest to date in New York through our platform! This monumental win not only highlights the excitement of the lottery but also the ease and convenience our service provides,” said Akshay Khanna, CEO and co-founder of Jackpot.com.

The player’s ticket matched all but the Powerball number, which is a million-dollar prize, according to prize amounts listed on their website. However, using the Power Play feature, which doubled the prize amount, the player doubled his winnings to $2 million.

New York Lottery officials did not name the Powerball winner.

Matthew Euzarraga is a multimedia journalist from El Paso, Texas. He has covered local news and LGBTQIA topics in the New York City Metro area since 2021. He joined the PIX11 Digital team in 2023. You can see more of his work here .

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