Double or nothing: $1 leads to Mississippi's biggest lottery payday

A Petal, Mississippi resident turned an extra dollar into $10 million by matching all numbers in Monday's Powerball Double Play drawing. The win marks the largest payout in Mississippi Lottery history.

The winning ticket, purchased at Petal Food Mart, hit all five Double Play white balls and the Double Play Powerball number. This makes the Mississippi player only the fifth person nationwide to claim the Double Play top prize since the feature launched in 2021.

Mississippi Lottery President Jeff Hewitt said:

This is a milestone for the Mississippi Lottery. Not only do we have our first Powerball Double Play, top-prize winner, but this is also the largest lottery win in our state lottery's history. It's an exciting day for players and retailers.

What is Double Play?

Double Play offers Powerball players a second chance at winning for $1 more. The feature lets players use the same numbers in an additional drawing held shortly after the main Powerball drawing. Mississippi introduced Double Play to retailers in September 2023.

The additional drawing occurs approximately 30 minutes after each Powerball drawing on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. Players choose five numbers from 1 to 69 and one Powerball number from 1 to 26, using the same set of numbers in both drawings.

Since 2021, only three other players have claimed the $10 million top prize:

• Maryland scored one win in 2021
• Florida celebrated two wins in 2022
• Kentucky marked one win in 2024

Recent Powerball success in Mississippi

Before this historic win, Mississippi celebrated another Powerball victory. In August, a ticket purchased from Express Mart in Belmont matched four out of five white balls plus the Powerball. The player's decision to add the Power Play feature proved fortunate. With a Power Play multiplier of 3, the base prize of $50,000 tripled to $150,000.

Current jackpot opportunities

Even though this prize was won by a Mississippi resident, there are other large jackpots up for grabs, including:

• Mega Millions: $110 million estimated jackpot ($50.2 million cash value)
• Powerball: $154 million estimated for February 12 ($71.4 million cash value)
• Lotto America: $23.62 million estimated ($10.95 million cash value)
• Mississippi Match 5: $56,000 estimated

Power Play

While Double Play adds excitement to the Powerball game, the Power Play option is also available. Players can add Power Play for an additional $1 per play and may choose to play both Power Play and Double Play options. Power Play increases winnings for all prize levels except the jackpot but does not affect Double Play winnings.