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Powerball insomnia: Michigan man's restless night ends in $100,000 prize

The lucky winner told his wife they “won a little bit of money.”

Charles Kempher, Michigan Lottery winner of a $100,000 Powerball prize.
Charles Kempher, Michigan Lottery winner of a $100,000 Powerball prize. Photograph credit to the Michigan Lottery.
Todd Betzold

A Michigan man was having a sleepless night. He then checked his numbers for the Powerball drawing that night, and suddenly, sleep was never going to happen!

$100,000 winning ticket

We've all had those nights where we just couldn't fall asleep. That is what was happening to 75-year-old Charles Kempher when he checked his numbers for the March 20 drawing of Powerball.

He soon found out that he matched four white balls and the Powerball to win a $50,000 prize. However, Kempher also played the Power Play option, so the prize was multiplied to $100,000.

The winning white ball numbers for the March 20 Powerball drawing were 13, 22, 27, 54, and 66, and the Powerball was 9. The odds of matching four white balls and the Powerball are 1 in 1 in 913,129.

Kempher bought his winning ticket at Meijer, located at 217 East US Highway 223 in Adrian.

He told Michigan Lottery officials that he has been playing Powerball for a long time. On the night of the big win, he said:

I woke up at 11:30 p.m. and couldn't sleep, so I checked the winning Powerball numbers. I was in disbelief when I realized I'd won $100,000! I sat up for hours waiting for my wife to wake up so that I could tell her the good news!

“Little bit of money”

His wife finally did wake up and was, as expected, shocked to find out the good news.

“When I woke up, Charles told me we'd won a little bit of money,” said Donna Kempher. “Once I learned it was $100,000, I said: 'I think that's more than a little bit of money!' It was so exciting.”

The couple recently visited Lottery headquarters to claim their big prize. With the winnings, they said they plan on fixing up their home.

Power Play for Powerball

Charles Kempher won $100,000 thanks to purchasing the Power Play option when he bought his Powerball tickets. Normally, a Powerball ticket costs $2 in Michigan. For an additional $1 per play, the Power Play can be added on.

The Power Play feature can multiply non-jackpot prizes by 2, 3, 4, 5, or 10 times. If you did add this option, the Match 5 prize with Power Play will always be $2 million.

The multiplier number is randomly selected before each drawing. While the 10X multiplier is an option, it is only in play when the advertised jackpot annuity is $150 million or less.

While Powerball costs $2 per play and $1 more for Power Play in Michigan, it is not like that in every state. For players in Idaho and Montana, the Powerball is bundled with Power Play for a minimum purchase price of $3 per play.

Enjoy playing the Michigan Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.

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