Cedar Lake resident Michael Kurczewski couldn’t believe it when he won $50,000 playing Powerball®. He only plays occasionally and typically only purchases tickets once a jackpot has grown very large.

Michael was on his way to his sister-in-law’s house for a family birthday party when he stopped to get gas and a couple Powerball tickets. As he pulled into the gas station, he remembered he had stashed a few tickets in his vehicle and decided to quickly scan them before entering the store.

When the Hoosier Lottery app screen displayed a message saying Michael had won and would need to go to the Lottery’s Prize Payment office in Indianapolis to claim his prize, he was stunned.

Michael hurried into the store and asked the clerk to scan the ticket as well. When they confirmed his win, Michael said, “My heart dropped. I was really excited but also nervous.”

Neither he nor his wife knew how much he won, so his wife called her brother-in-law to see if he knew. Michael said that when his brother-in-law told them the ticket was a $50,000 winner, “We all screamed!”

Michael plans to use his winnings to pay a couple bills and will put the rest in savings.

Powerball® Overall Odds: 1 in 25