Mississippi Woman Claims $1 Million Powerball Prize

Reality was still sinking in for Samantha Netterville after she claimed a $1 million Powerball prize from the May 11 drawing. A frequent Louisiana Lottery player, the 29-year-old resident of Woodville, Miss. visited Lottery headquarters in Baton Rouge Monday just hours after learning she held a winning ticket.

"I took it to the store this morning to have it checked and the clerk said, 'You've got a winner here-better head to Baton Rouge!'" said Netterville. As her boyfriend drove her to the Lottery office, Netterville phoned friends and family, who helped her determine how much she had won. "At first I thought it was $10,000, and I was excited," she explained. "Then I found out it was $1 million and I was really excited!"

Netterville, who works in St. Francisville, said she will likely spend part of her winnings on a particular car she has eyed for some time, but also plans to put most of the money into savings.

The winning ticket matched all five white-ball numbers but missed the red Powerball number. The winning numbers were 06-13-19-23-43 and the Powerball number was 16. Netterville received $700,000 after state and federal taxes were withheld.

Netterville purchased her winning ticket at State Line Food Mart in St. Francisville. The store will receive a bonus of $10,000, which is 1 percent of the prize, for selling the winning ticket.

Ticket purchasers must be at least 21 years of age.  Draw-style game tickets must be claimed within 180 days of the drawing.  Anyone who may have a gambling problem, or friends and family of anyone with a gambling problem should call toll free 1-877-770-7867 for help. 

For security purposes, the Lottery strongly encourages players to sign the back of their tickets immediately after purchasing.  More information about other Powerball winners can be found in the "Meet Our Winners" section of the Lottery's Web site.