10/20/2008 - 10:48 AM

Baton Rouge Man Claims $800,000 Powerball Prize

Charles Thomas Jr., of Baton Rouge claimed an $800,000 Powerball prize from Louisiana Lottery Headquarters from the Oct. 15 drawing.

Charles Thomas Jr., of Baton Rouge kept a big secret from his wife, Mae - he visited Louisiana Lottery headquarters to claim an $800,000 Powerball prize from the Oct. 15 drawing.

"I haven't told her yet. I'm going to surprise her tonight," said Thomas. "She usually doesn't pay attention to me when I tell her I win on Lottery games because it's usually only a few dollars. I think this time will be different."

Thomas said he plans to use some of his winnings to purchase a new wheelchair accessible van for his church, which caters to services for the deaf.

Thomas' ticket matched all five white-ball numbers to win $200,000. Because he added the Power Play option to his ticket for an additional $1, his prize was multiplied by four when the Power Play number "4" was selected during the drawing, bringing his total winnings to $800,000. 

He purchased his winning ticket from Albertson's #2713 on George O'Neal Lane in Baton Rouge. The store will receive a one-time bonus of $8,000 for selling the winning ticket.

The winning numbers for the Oct. 15 Powerball drawing were 03-13-32-38-48 and the Powerball was 13.

Ticket purchasers must be at least 21 years of age. The Lottery encourages anyone who may have a gambling problem or friends and family of anyone with a gambling problem to call toll free 1-877-770-7867 for help.

For security purposes, the Lottery strongly encourages players to sign the back of their tickets immediately after purchasing.  More information about other Powerball winners can be found in the "Meet Our Winners" section of the Lottery's Web site, www.louisianalottery.com.