A Murfreesboro, Tennessee, couple struck it rich over the weekend from a Powerball promotion that turned a $200,000 second-prize win into a $2 million jackpot.
Nita and Merwin Scruggs came forward Monday to collect their check and become millionaires.
"We still can't believe it," said 59-year-old Merwin Scruggs, a manager at Graves Metal Products Inc. in Shelbyville, on Monday in a news release. "We didn't sleep at all last night."
The winning Powerball Power Play ticket, which was purchased Friday at Discount Tobacco, 2510B S. Church St., matched all five white numbers correctly, according to Tennessee Lottery spokesperson Rachel Petrie said.
Normally the five numbers matched would result in $200,000, but because the Power Play was purchased and a multiplier of "10" was added as part of a limited-time promotion by the lottery, the drawing was worth $2 million. The largest possible prize other than a Jackpot is usually $1 million.
The Scruggs are the first Powerball players to win this prize level, which is available only during April as part of a special Power Play 10X Promotion, which replaces one of the "5s" on the Power Play wheel with a "10."
The couple, who purchased the winning ticket on their anniversary, said they plan to share their winnings with their two sons and 10 grandchildren.
The Scruggs said they don't want a lot of media attention, and they don't plan to retire right away, Petrie said.
The win is the largest in Murfreesboro since the Tennessee Lottery began in January 2004. The largest win in state history was $25.5 million.
Discount Tobacco will receive $5,000 for selling the winning ticket, Petrie said.
As of March 31, the lottery has raised about $842 million to fund specific education programs. More than $3 billion of tickets have been sold, and $1.7 billion has been paid out to winners.
Quote: Originally posted by chasingadream on Apr 17, 2007
wow.....i wonder if tennessee will have its 2nd jackpot winner before the end of this year
if i have anything to say about it "yes",ha ha. im happy for that couple i saw the winner was in murfreesboro so i knew it wasnt one of my tickets but ill be optimistic that the jackpot is getting closer to me here in nashville...
Quote: Originally posted by weshar75 on Apr 17, 2007
I would like to see the 10x come up one more time before this promotion is up. I would not mind winning $2 million cash myself.-weshar75
I think it's high time that Powerball makes the 10x multiplier permanent...I usually don't powerplay, but during this month, I powerplay all of my tickets. Actually, april 4 was the first time I powerplayed all this year. Hmmmm, seems like they would get more people to powerplay during the course of the year if that 10x was available all year instead of just in April.
Quote: Originally posted by OldSchoolPa on Apr 17, 2007
I think it's high time that Powerball makes the 10x multiplier permanent...I usually don't powerplay, but during this month, I powerplay all of my tickets. Actually, april 4 was the first time I powerplayed all this year. Hmmmm, seems like they would get more people to powerplay during the course of the year if that 10x was available all year instead of just in April.
I started paying for PowerPlay on just about every ticket I buy after I sat down and figured out that the maximum I could make without it if I matched 5 white balls was $140K after taxes. And the minimum I'd make with the PowerPlay was $280K. I decided that even if the multiplier came up only 2X, the difference betweek $140K and $280K would make a significant difference in my lifestyle that was worth spending the extra hundred or so each year to add PowerPlay.
I'll bet there are plenty of players out there, tho, that would be prompted to PowerPlay more often if 10X was permanent. I hope they add it.
It's sad when a store sells a winning powerball ticket that they only receive a small portion($5000 off of $2 million).
wow.....i wonder if tennessee will have its 2nd jackpot winner before the end of this year
if i have anything to say about it "yes",ha ha. im happy for that couple i saw the winner was in murfreesboro so i knew it wasnt one of my tickets but ill be optimistic that the jackpot is getting closer to me here in nashville...
I would like to see the 10x come up one more time before this promotion is up. I would not mind winning $2 million cash myself.-weshar75
I think it's high time that Powerball makes the 10x multiplier permanent...I usually don't powerplay, but during this month, I powerplay all of my tickets. Actually, april 4 was the first time I powerplayed all this year. Hmmmm, seems like they would get more people to powerplay during the course of the year if that 10x was available all year instead of just in April.
I think one of the best parts is.....
They were married on Fri. 13th,
it was they're anniversry ......or something like that.
I started paying for PowerPlay on just about every ticket I buy after I sat down and figured out that the maximum I could make without it if I matched 5 white balls was $140K after taxes. And the minimum I'd make with the PowerPlay was $280K. I decided that even if the multiplier came up only 2X, the difference betweek $140K and $280K would make a significant difference in my lifestyle that was worth spending the extra hundred or so each year to add PowerPlay.
I'll bet there are plenty of players out there, tho, that would be prompted to PowerPlay more often if 10X was permanent. I hope they add it.
I only play the PowerPlay when they have these special promotions.
Would you buy it all the time if the 10X was permanent?
I probably would a third of the time!
Agree... It is really sad... But Rebecca has to get her cut..
don't cha know it