Who is Joni Thompson? Michigan woman wins $1M powerball prize on her first-ever lottery ticket

MECOSTA COUNTY, MICHIGAN: A Michigan woman had a stroke of beginner's luck as she won a $1 million Powerball prize while playing the lottery for the first time in her life. In the Powerball drawing on November 8, which resulted in the million-dollar payoff, Joni Thompson matched all five white balls, according to the Michigan Lottery.

“I’d never played Powerball before, but I decided to purchase a ticket after seeing the jackpot was over $1 billion,” Thompson told Michigan Lottery officials. “After the drawing, I saw a social media post about a $1 million prize being won in Mecosta County. … When I realized I‘d matched five numbers and was the big winner, I started hyperventilating, screaming, and crying! I had my son scan my ticket on his lottery app to make sure I was reading it right. It’s hard to describe what it feels like to win $1 million; I am still speechless!” Fox17 reported.