A Michigan man put fatherhood to good use by winning $200,000 in Powerball using the lucky number of his child's birthday.
James Allen, 63, of Commerce Township, Michigan, purchased the winning ticket on Dec. 28, according to the Michigan Lottery website.
He bought his ticket in Auburn Hills, Michigan.
When the drawing was held on Dec. 30, Allen's ticket number matched four of the winning numbers and the Powerball.
Initially, Allen thought he had won $50,000, but thanks to the “power play” portion of the game, his winnings were quadrupled.
“I checked my ticket, forgot about the extra Power Play game, and went to bed thinking I had won $50,000,” Allen told the Michigan Lottery website.
“When I woke up in the morning and checked again, I realized I had actually won $200,000,” he said.
According to the Michigan Lottery's website, the “Power Play” option can be added to Powerball tickets for an additional dollar.
“Power Play” works by multiplying non-jackpot prizes up to a maximum of $2 million.
Powerball tickets will be sold for $2 each.
Allen told the Michigan Lottery that he uses the same strategy every time he plays Powerball. In other words, use the child's birthday as a number.
“Every time I play Powerball, I pick my child's birthday,” Allen said.
“This time it really paid off!”
Allen told the Michigan Lottery that she plans to use her winnings to pay her bills.
A Michigan Lottery spokesperson told FOX Business that his strategy for picking lottery numbers is not all that unusual.
“Many players play with specific numbers because they have a special meaning,” said Michigan Lottery spokesman Jake Harris.
“It's always fun to hear why players choose the numbers they play, but no matter which numbers they choose, everyone has a chance to win life-changing cash when playing Powerball.” Harris also told FOX Business.
Powerball is a lottery game played nationwide.
The Powerball website says tickets are on sale in every state except Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah.
Powerball jackpots start at $20 million.
The lottery's website says the largest jackpot, $2.04 billion, was awarded in November 2022.
Proceeds from the Michigan Lottery will be used to support the state's schools, according to the lottery's website.
“Since its founding in 1972, the Michigan Lottery has donated all of the agency's profits to the Michigan School Aid Fund,” the site says.
“If you play, the students win.”
FOX Business has reached out to the Michigan Lottery for additional comment.
