A Tiverton man claimed a winning $50,000 PowerBall ticket from the December 21st drawing, according to the Rhode Island Lottery.

The ticket was purchased for last Wednesday’s drawing and remained unclaimed until December 24th.

The winner learned he won when he went to the store to play PowerBall for the Christmas Eve draw. When he checked the ticket, the retailer exclaimed, “It’s you…You’re the winner!” The winner matched four numbers and the PowerBall number to win $50,000.

However, he did not purchase the PowerPlay feature, which would have multiplied the prize by 5, the PowerPlay number for the December 21st draw, to win $250,000 instead of $50,000. The winner said he’ll use the winnings to make everyday life easier. Step by Step Mart, 429 Main Rd., Tiverton, sold the winning ticket.

Wednesday’s estimated PowerBall® jackpot is $60 million.

Ryan Belmore is the owner and publisher of What's Up Newp. He took over the publication in 2012 and has grown it into a three-time Rhode Island Monthly Best Local News Blog (2018, 2019, 2020). He was named LION Publishers Member of the Year in 2020 and received the Dominique Award from the Arts & Cultural Society of Newport County the same year. He has been awarded grants for investigative and community journalism, and continues to coach and mentor new local news publications nationwide. Ryan...