Vacherie resident Jhirmar Washington became Louisiana’s newest millionaire after winning $2 million during Oct. 7’s Powerball drawing. Though he is a frequent Louisiana Lottery Powerball player, Washington said he almost skipped buying a ticket for Saturday’s drawing until fate stepped in when his cousin said she was hungry. “We went to Taylor’s (Express) to get her something to eat and left with pizza and a Powerball ticket.”

Washington also admitted that he might have forgotten again about that ticket if he hadn’t heard a big winner was sold in his area! “I didn’t even think about it until six or seven Sunday night when I saw the big winning ticket was bought at Taylors,” he recalled.

Taylor’s Express is located on Highway 3125 in Gramercy. The store will receive a one-time selling bonus of $20,000, which is 1 percent of the prize, for selling the winning ticket.

Washington’s numbers matched all five white balls drawn but missed the Powerball number. His match-5 prize of $1 million was doubled since he added the $1 Power Play to his ticket. The 34-year-old received $1.4 million after state and federal tax withholdings. He said he plans to invest his winnings.

The winning numbers for the Oct. 7 Powerball drawing were 10-49-61-63-65 and the Powerball was 07.

Lottery ticket purchasers must be at least 21 years of age. Draw-style game tickets must be claimed within 180 days of the drawing. Anyone who may have a gambling problem or friends and family of anyone with a gambling problem should 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 Powerball can be found on the Lottery’s website, www.louisianalottery.com/powerball.