Retired West Virginia Horse Trainer Wins $2 Million Powerball® Prize

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – West Virginia Lottery Director John Musgrave introduced Angel Gonzales of Ranson as the winner of a $2 million Powerball® prize from last Saturday’s drawing at a press conference in Charleston today.

“I am overwhelmed,” an emotional Gonzales said. “I will use this money to help take care of my children, my grandchildren and my great grandchildren.”

Gonzales, originally from Puerto Rico, is a retired horse trainer who moved to West Virginia in 1979. He was joined at the press conference by his wife Ana, his son Angel Gonzales, III, his daughter-in-law Melissa and his sister-in-law Norma. Mr. Gonzales and his wife Ana have 13 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.

He played his own number, just like the two other match-5 winners from West Virginia did for Saturday’s draw, except he paid an extra $1 for the Power Play option and therefore had his winning amount automatically increased to $2 million. He bought the lucky ticket at the Ranson Shell on Fairfax Boulevard in Ranson.

Gonzales is an avid lottery player who plays Mega Millions® and Powerball® weekly and several of West Virginia’s in-state games. He is a previous Daily 4 winner and he says his Powerball® win is much needed.

“I was watching the television and reading the numbers off of my ticket as they were listed,” Gonzales said. “I kept saying come on with each number and then I realized I had five. I immediately called my daughter in Puerto Rico and told her you will not believe this.”

The Powerball numbers for the Saturday, May 3, 2014 drawing were 05-15-16-46-49 with a PB: 26 and the PowerPlay: x4.

West Virginia has been on an amazing lucky streak in terms of producing $1 million or more winners from Multi-State Lottery (MUSL) games this year. Counting this past weekend’s three winners and a still unclaimed $1 million Powerball ticket that was sold for the February 12th drawing in Wheeling, West Virginia has had 10 tickets from the MUSL games of Powerball and Mega Millions sold and/or claimed this year.

Tonight’s Mega Millions jackpot is now $92 million and Wednesday’s Powerball jackpot is an estimated $70 million.