ALBUQUERQUE – A Loving, NM construction worker claimed a $2 million Powerball® prize from the Wednesday, January 6 Powerball draw.
Jose M. Sarabia from Fort Stockton, TX claimed his prize at New Mexico Lottery headquarters in Albuquerque at the close of business yesterday. He has worked in New Mexico for the last three years, commuting back to his home on weekends.
Above: Jose Sarabia, winner of $2 million Powerball® prize
Sarabia’s ticket matched the white ball numbers of 2, 11, 47, 62 and 63. He missed landing that night’s jackpot of $500 million by not matching the winning red Powerball of 17.
Fifteen other lucky lottery players across the nation won $1 million in the January 6 Powerball draw. But thanks to Sarabia’s additional purchase of $1 Power Play®, he was the only winner in the U.S. to double his Powerball prize to $2 Million for that draw.
Sarabia always purchases Power Play so that he can multiply his prizes. However, he almost didn’t get his winning ticket. When he asked for a Powerball ticket with Power Play, the clerk accidentally printed two tickets. She then tried to sell it to his friend, who didn’t want it. But Sarabia wanted that ticket and bought it.
When asked if his friend regretted not buying the ticket Jose smiled and said, “No, he said it was my ticket, it was meant for me.”
Sarabia plans to pay off his house and vehicles, donate to his church and help his parents. His advice to players, “Keep on playing. If you play, you win. One of these days it will be your lucky day.”
Sarabia bought his lucky ticket at the Brewer Oil Loving Chevron located at 100 N. 8th Street in Loving. For selling the $2 million-winning ticket, the store is eligible for a $2,500 New Mexico Lottery bonus.
Sarabia already purchased his ticket for Wednesday’s Powerball jackpot, which was increased this morning to $1.5 billion. As he left the Lottery he smiled and said, “I’ll see you soon.”
New Mexico Lottery Millionaires
Five Powerball jackpots have been won in New Mexico. The state’s largest lottery prize is a Powerball jackpot of $206.9 million won by a pool of nine players from the Roswell area in September 2008.
Please Play Responsibly
New Mexico Lottery CEO David Barden says, “It only takes one ticket to win. Please play responsibly and be familiar with player safeguards. Sign your ticket, check your numbers, and listen for the winner tune when you have a winning ticket checked. New Mexico Lottery tickets expire 90 days from the date of the drawing.”
Players in New Mexico have until 8 p.m. MT Wednesday to buy a ticket for the next drawing, which takes place at approximately 8:59 p.m. MT.
How to Play Powerball
Powerball is played in 47 lotteries. The game was last updated in October 2015 with changes aimed at delivering big jackpots while increasing other significant prizes in the game. Players choose five numbers from 1 to 69 and one Powerball number from 1 to 26. Players can also ask for a “quick pick,” a set of numbers chosen randomly by the lottery’s gaming system. Each wager costs $2.
In addition to the jackpot, there are eight prize levels from $4 to $1 million. The game’s Power Play option multiples non-jackpot prizes and will double the $1 million prize to $2 million automatically. Power Play costs an additional $1 per play per drawing.
The odds of winning a Powerball jackpot are approximately 1 in 292 million. The overall odds of winning a Powerball prize are approximately 1 in 25.
Legislative Lottery Scholarships
One hundred percent of net Lottery proceeds benefit the Legislative Lottery Scholarship program. To date, the New Mexico Lottery has raised $670.5 million for education in New Mexico. More than 100,000 students have attended college on Legislative Lottery Scholarships. More information about Legislative Lottery Scholarships is available on the Legislative Lottery Scholarship page.