Roscommon County Woman Wins $100,000 Powerball Prize from the Michigan Lottery

Barbara Lambert and her friend, John Laux, holding $100,000 check

A miscommunication with the store clerk led a Roscommon County woman to a $100,000 Powerball prize from the Michigan Lottery!

Barbara Lambert, of Saint Helen, matched four white balls and the Powerball – 02-09-44-53-59, PB: 08 – in the July 20 drawing to win a $50,000 prize. Thanks to the Power Play, the prize was multiplied to $100,000. She bought her winning ticket at the Shell gas station, located at 2007 North M 76 in Saint Helen. Saint Helen is about 20 miles east of Houghton Lake.

“I play Powerball all the time and have a special set of numbers I usually use,” said Lambert, 68. “I bought my Powerball ticket as usual, and once I got in my car, I realized there must have been a miscommunication because the Power Play wasn’t added to my ticket. I went back into the store to get another ticket with the Power Play and told the cashier to give me a few easy pick numbers this time.

“The next day, I went back to the same store and scanned my ticket. When a message came up to file a claim, I asked the cashier what it meant, thinking maybe I won a few thousand dollars. The cashier looked at me and said: ‘It’s you!’ I was confused until she told me they had just got word a few hours ago that the store had sold a $100,000 winning Powerball ticket. I started shaking and my eyes filled with tears!

“I’m so thankful the Power Play wasn’t added to my first ticket and that I went back in for another one, otherwise I wouldn’t be here claiming $100,000! I just retired last week, so this prize couldn’t have come at a better time.”

Lambert recently visited Lottery headquarters to claim her prize. With her winnings, she plans to complete some home improvements and invest.

Powerball plays may be purchased for $2 each at Lottery retailers across the state and online at MichiganLottery.com. A “Power Play” option that multiplies non-jackpot prizes by up to 10 times to a maximum of $2 million may be added to any Powerball play for only $1. For an additional $1 per play, Double Play may be added to a Powerball ticket, giving players a second chance to win up to $10 million in the nightly Double Play drawing.

The Powerball drawing takes place at 10:59 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday and may be watched live online at: http://www.powerball.com. Powerball tickets are sold in 45 states, Washington D.C., U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.