West Virginia Coal Miner Wins $1 Million Playing Powerball®

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – David Feamster of Rupert is the latest West Virginia player to win $1 million playing the popular Powerball® game from the West Virginia Lottery.

Feamster, a coal miner, was introduced to the public by West Virginia Lottery Director John Musgrave at a Monday afternoon press conference in Charleston. He matched five numbers, missing only the Powerball number, for the Wednesday, October 2, Powerball® drawing. His ticket was one of only three nationally to match five from that particular drawing and no one won the jackpot by matching all six numbers. The winning numbers were 4-6-25-42-51 and the Powerball number was 17.

“I never thought this would happen and it has not really sunk in yet,” Feamster said. “I came home from work and my wife told me she had heard that someone who bought a ticket at the Go Mart won $1 million, so my boys went and checked the numbers online and we couldn’t believe it.”

He purchased the lucky auto-pick ticket at the Go Mart on Kanawha Avenue in Rainelle. Go Mart’s Director of Marketing, Terry Smith, will was in attendance to accept the retailer sales bonus of $10,000 for selling the ticket.

Feamster and his wife Tammy have two sons – Noah and Logan, and a daughter Samantha. They say they already have plans for their winnings.

“We are going to give to our church, pay off our house and put some back for the future,” Feamster said.
A total of 11 lottery tickets worth $1 million or more have been sold in West Virginia since January of 2012. This is the most $1 million plus winners over such a short period of time in West Virginia’s history. All 11 have come from the Powerball® and Mega Millions® games.