![Portage Man Becomes 3rd in the Area to Win $1 Million Lotto](http://townsquare.media/site/689/files/2023/05/attachment-RS19176_GettyImages-894934756-scr.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Portage Man Becomes 3rd in the Area to Win $1 Million Lotto
I'm not jealous at ALL.
Recently, on April 15th, a man in Portage scored the winning numbers on the Powerball drawing making him an instant millionaire, as reported by wwmt.com.
The man, John Carlson, is now the third person in the Portage area to become a millionaire thanks to playing and winning the lottery.
As far as the other two are concerned, they happened over a decade apart:
- August 24th, 2022. A million-dollar prize was won with a Powerball ticket that was purchased at a Meijer gas station
- March 24th, 2011. A million-dollar prize was won with a Mega Millions ticket purchased at Pride Mart.
You can see past winners in all areas of Michigan here.
Nearly every person I know dreams of winning the lottery. And, who could blame them? With the high cost of living, ongoing inflation in grocery stores, and beyond, having all of your needs suddenly taken care of sounds ideal.
![WKFR logo](http://townsquare.media/site/689/files/2021/03/512.jpg?w=100)
But, what are the actual chances of winning?
Powerball.com gives a list of statistics with your chance of winning versus the amount of the prize.
Starting with the lowest "big" prize:
- $50,000 - 1 in 913,129
- $1,000,000 - 1 in 11,688,053
- Grand Prize - 1 in 292,201,338
Obviously, as the dollar amount decreases, your chances of winning increase.
Of course, winning the lottery doesn't always solve all of your problems. In fact, according to the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards,
nearly one-third of lottery winners eventually declare bankruptcy, and lottery winners are more likely to declare bankruptcy within three to five years than the average American.
It all has to do with how you manage your money. Read more here.
Currently, the Powerball jackpot has reached $87 million with the next drawing scheduled on Saturday, May 6th. You can find winning numbers, which jackpots have been won, and more here.
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