Daughter convinces her dad to play Powerball in Virginia — and helps double his prize
An “I told you so” might be in order for a Virginia dad.
Salvador Gomez did not have plans to play in the Nov. 2 Powerball drawing despite its $1.2 billion jackpot, but his daughter thought otherwise, according to a Feb. 9 news release from Virginia Lottery officials.
“I convinced him to play,” Gomez’s daughter said. “He handed me some money, and I bought the tickets.”
Gomez’s daughter took the money to Spencer’s Express in North Chesterfield, where she bought seven Powerball tickets, officials said. She spent an extra dollar for the Power Play, which allows players to multiply any non-jackpot prize by a randomly selected multiplier.
A few weeks after the Nov. 2 drawing, Gomez and his daughter finally decided to check their tickets, they told officials. That’s when they saw that they had won: One of the tickets matched four winning numbers plus the Powerball.
Thanks to Gomez’s daughter’s extra $1 for the Power Play, the ticket’s $50,000 prize was multiplied by two, doubling the prize to $100,000, officials said.
Gomez said he plans to use his winnings to take care of his family and travel.
North Chesterfield is about 10 miles outside of Richmond.
This story was originally published February 9, 2023 at 1:07 PM with the headline "Daughter convinces her dad to play Powerball in Virginia — and helps double his prize."
