TICKET SELLING STORE HOLDS PARTY FOR THE TOWN

McDowell decided to play Powerball on the way home from work and bought his Quick Pick ticket at the Lone Star Food Store, better known as “On the Run”, on West Bells Boulevard in nearby Bells. The store became eligible for a $400,000 retailer bonus as stores that sell winning tickets receive a one percent commission of the advertised jackpot. “It was pretty exciting to wake up to,” store manager Larry Janning said. An employee at the store, Chris Turner, said that lottery players from across the state had been making a special trip to Lone Star to try their luck after hearing about McDowells lucky Quick Pick Powerball numbers being bought from there.

Bill Douglass, who owns a chain of the stores, said the bonus would be going mostly to healthcare costs for his employees. Douglass said “it’s a once in a lifetime event, so we’re excited for the people in Bells, and that’s why we’re throwing the party.” He added that he’d be paying $10,000 towards a new pavilion for the park in Bells, and that some employees would also get a bonus. The customer appreciation party included food and refreshments, a cake featuring the winning Powerball Quick Pick numbers, as well as entertainment including a balloon animal maker and bouncy castle for the town’s children.

Another store which profited from a Powerball win was the one which sold Christopher McGurran his $50 million winning ticket in December 2012 and received a $25,000 bonus.

COWS, TRACTORS AND CARS FOR POWERBALL WINNER PAUL MCDOWELL

The 54-year-old said “I’m going to retire here in the morning. I’m going to take my uniforms in and stuff in the morning and retire, quit, whatever you do,” he said. “Might buy a few cows, a couple of tractors and a new car. That ought to do it,” he added.

Rosa DeLeon and Reginald LeBlanc won $50 million in December 2012 and both chose to retire once they had received their Powerball jackpot money.

POWERBALL WINNER PAUL MCDOWELL SPENDING A BIT HERE AND THERE

Sometime later, John Henard, a friend of the Powerball lottery winner, said that not too much had changed since the big win. McDowell quit his job with Waste Management, and bought a few new cars and a backhoe, which he used to help out his neighbours. Henard also told the press that he and McDowell walk two miles together every morning, and that McDowell is using his Powerball jackpot money on “just spending a bit here and there, on things that he could really use.”

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