Martinsburg Man Wins $1 Million Powerball® Prize
August 22, 2013
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – West Virginia Lottery Director John Musgrave introduced West Virginia’s newest $1 million Match 5 Powerball® winner during a press conference in Charleston today.
Seal is the 58th person to win or share a prize of $1 million or more in the West Virginia Lottery’s history (since 1986). A total of 10 lottery tickets worth $1 million or more from the Powerball® and Mega Millions® games have been sold in West Virginia since January of 2012.
Harry Seal, an employee of Eagle Auto Parts, Inc., from Martinsburg, purchased the lucky ticket at the Citgo on Route 9 in Martinsburg for last Saturday’s Powerball® drawing and had the good fortune of matching five numbers and winning $1 million.
“This is a dream come true. I never thought anything like this would ever happen,” Seal said. “I plan to keep working and use the money to pay off some bills, do some house repairs and save for the future.”
Seal, who has three children and three grandchildren, was joined in Charleston by his wife, Donna, and his granddaughter Ashley.
Mr. Seal’s $1 million Powerball® Match 5 ticket was the only Match 5 winner sold for the Saturday, August 17 drawing in the country. There were also no jackpot winners last Saturday or last night so the current Powerball® jackpot is now $92 million.
West Virginia still has an unclaimed $1 million Powerball® Match 5 ticket that was sold at the Little General on Robert C. Byrd Drive in Beckley for the March 16, 2013, Powerball® drawing. That ticket will expire on September 12, if it is not claimed.
This win is the fourth Match 5 $1 million Powerball winner sold in West Virginia in 2013. On March 8, the Gillispie Family from Julian and Mary Carr of Barboursville claimed $1 million prizes from the March 6 Powerball® drawing, in addition to the outstanding ticket from Beckley and now Mr. Seal’s win.
Had the players on all four of these wins paid an extra $1 for the Powerplay® option they would have won $2 million instead of just $1 million.
Sunny Mahavadi, the owner of the Citgo on Route 9 in Martinsburg, was also in attendance at the press conference on Thursday. Retailers receive a 1% commission on winning tickets and Mahavadi made the trip to Charleston where he received his sales bonus check of $10,000.