ALBUQUERQUE – Las Cruces resident Justin Laugherty, 31, is a newly minted millionaire.
At odds of 1 in 5.2 million, Laugherty’s quick-pick ticket for Wednesday’s Powerball ® drawing matched the white ball numbers of 6, 27, 46, 51 and 56 to win a $1 million prize. Laugherty missed the red Powerball of 21, which would have given him a share of the night’s $337 million jackpot. The jackpot was won by a ticket sold in Michigan.
Above: Justin Laugherty, winner of $1 Million Powerball® Prize
“I’ve been telling people since I was eight years old that I was going to win the lottery,” Laughtery said, “and I did.”
Minutes after Wednesday’s drawing, Laugherty discovered his prize when he checked his ticket numbers with numbers posted at the lottery’s website.
“I screamed out of my mind,” he said. “I started shaking.”
New Mexico’s newest millionaire said he plans to use his prize to pay off his home loan and spoil his family and friends.
Laugherty, a bachelor, bought his lucky ticket at Shorty’s located at 1025 E. Spruce Ave. in Las Cruces. Previously, the convenience store has sold 12 large prize-winning lottery tickets paying between $1,000 and $21,000. For selling the $1 million-winning ticket, Shorty’s is eligible for a $2,500 New Mexico Lottery bonus.
A Multitude of Millionaires in 2012
Since January, the New Mexico Lottery has sold five other tickets paying prizes of $1 million or more.
Larry and Cynthia Martinez of Blanco won a $1 million Powerball prize in January.
Patrick and Sharon Yazzie of Chinle, Ariz. won a $1 million Powerball prize in March.
Robert Platt of Albuquerque won a $1.54 million Hot Lotto ® jackpot while James Larson, also of Albuquerque, won a $1 million Powerball prize in April.
Danny Garcia of Veguita won a $1 million Mega Millions ® prize in June.
Legislative Lottery Scholarships
All profits from the sale of New Mexico Lottery games fund an in-state college tuition assistance program. Since 1996, the New Mexico Lottery has raised $529 million for education and more than 75,300 students have attended college on Legislative Lottery Scholarships.