Merrill man wins $50,000 from Wisconsin lottery ticket purchase

​A Merrill resident has claimed a $50,000 prize after purchasing a winning ticket through the Wisconsin Lottery. The win was confirmed this week by lottery officials, who said the ticket matched enough numbers in a recent drawing to secure the five-figure payout.

​According to the Wisconsin Lottery, the ticket was purchased in Merrill, a city in Lincoln County. Officials did not immediately release the name of the store where the ticket was sold, but confirmed it qualified as a $50,000 winner.

The ticket was tied to a recent Powerball drawing, part of an ongoing jackpot cycle that has been gaining attention statewide. While the Merrill ticket did not hit the top jackpot, it matched enough numbers to earn the secondary prize.

Claiming the prize

The winning ticket was verified by the Wisconsin Lottery office, which confirmed the $50,000 payout to the Merrill resident. In Wisconsin, prizes up to $599 can be claimed directly at licensed retailers, but larger prizes like this one must be processed through the lottery’s main office.

All lottery prizes in Wisconsin must be claimed within 180 days of the drawing date. If a winning ticket is not presented in that timeframe, the prize money is returned to the lottery and used to support state programs.

Recent Lottery in Wisconsin and Past Winners of the Lottery 

Multistate games such as Powerball and Mega Millions have been in existence for decades, giving players across the nation the opportunity to compete for some of the largest jackpots available. Amid them are in-state games like SuperCash! and Megabucks, which also regularly see winners from all over the state.

In the past few decades, Wisconsin residents have won prizes ranging from a few dollars to multimillion-dollar jackpots. While $50,000 is not the biggest payout, the officials mention that medium-tier prizes like this are quite common and have been putting the spotlight on the lottery.

For Merrill, the winning keeps adding this city to an increasing number of Wisconsin communities where lottery prizes are claimed lately. Stores selling the winning ticket obtain a small bonus from the Lottery, over and above the player's prize. 

The next drawing is set for Saturday, with the jackpot now continuing to rise from yet another rollover. In Wisconsin, residents can purchase tickets for Powerball and other games from licensed retailers scattered all over the state until tickets sales close prior to each drawing. 

Local impact and future drawings

Since its inception in 1988, the Wisconsin Lottery has funded property tax relief and other state initiatives. Revenues from ticket sales go to support public programs, while winnings increasingly inspire local tales of winners at all levels. Another example of that is the Merrill win. 

While this award of $50,000 is not the highest jackpot, it nevertheless shows that Wisconsinites continue to participate, in both state and national lottery games. For the players, every drawing is another chance to get their numbers called.