Ernest Jones, a Powerball winner from Smyth County, Virginia, was surprised when he went to the Virginia Lottery to collect his winning check. According to a news release by the Virginia Lottery, Jones purchased a Powerball ticket and matched four of the white balls and the Powerball. The prize for the win is normally $50,000, but when Jones arrived to claim his winnings, he was surprised to be presented with a check for $150,000. The increase was due to Jones' purchase of the Power Play option that multiplied his winning by three times. Ernest Jones won the third-tier prize for the Feb. 3, 2016, Powerball game. The jackpot prize was $112 million and the winning numbers were 26, 28, 31, 60, and 67. The Powerball was 23.
Powerball Winning numbers and winners for Feb. 3, live video #Powerball #Powerballjackpot https://t.co/fAaAGbxTXe pic.twitter.com/rIrIJNlWfm— Mary Turner (@thesaleswhopper) February 7, 2016
— Mary Turner (@thesaleswhopper) February 7, 2016
The Virginia Lottery has been busy handing out checks to a number of lucky winners, and they also embraced the Valentine's Day weekend by giving away chances to win chocolates.
Enter to win some delicious Virginia chocolate from @VirginiaLottery! Details here: https://t.co/4XhogdUhuk pic.twitter.com/TdnmuKOF99— Virginia Tourism (@VisitVirginia) February 10, 2016
— Virginia Tourism (@VisitVirginia) February 10, 2016
One VA office pool recently #won $50k in #Powerball! How would u celebrate w/ coworkers if u won big? #win #VA pic.twitter.com/qVKqsvWU9E— Virginia Lottery (@VirginiaLottery) February 11, 2016
— Virginia Lottery (@VirginiaLottery) February 11, 2016
