New Year, New Millionaire!
DC Man Named POWERBALL'S First Millionaire of the Year
Washington, D.C.– A DC Lottery player started the New Year with one million reasons to celebrate after winning the top prize in POWERBALL’s First Millionaire of the Year promotion.
Just after midnight, Carlos Mabry of Washington, D.C. learned of his life-changing $1 million win in the second chance promotion while live on-air along with millions of viewers watching ABC’s broadcast of “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2021.” Mabry was shocked and rendered nearly speechless as he, his wife of 21 years and two daughters processed news of the win.
“It’s been a whirlwind of an experience,” stated the overwhelmed winner. “I told myself earlier to relax, meditate, and ‘go for what I know,’ and that’s what I did. I’m ‘doing it for DC!,’ said Mabry, who has a giving plan that includes charitable donations to local social service organizations that assist children’s health and address homelessness, among other agencies.
Participating lotteries across the country held second-chance drawings and contests in their respective jurisdictions to randomly determine the semi-finalists for the POWERBALL First Millionaire of the Year’s $1 million prize. Mabry was one of five finalists selected from a pool of 482 entries received in the District of Columbia and 18 states. To heighten excitement of his winning journey, the DC Lottery encouraged fans to follow, share, and cheer on Carlos’ journey using the hashtag #DCforTeamCarlos on its social media platforms. The hashtag gained support with mentions by friends, supporters, and local sports teams.
“What a way to start the new year!” exclaimed Nicole Jordan, director of marketing and communications for the DC Lottery. “Carlos said he was “Doing it for DC!” and we wanted to show him that DC was cheering him on all the way! We’re happy for him, his family, and our city for bringing home this win!”
This million-dollar win has bolstered player enthusiasm about this weekend’s growing top prizes in the DC Lottery’s multi-state jackpot games. The jackpot for tonight’s Mega Millions drawing is $401 million. This is the highest top prize for this game since June 2019. Saturday’s POWERBALL game boasts a $384 million jackpot, the highest for this game since January 2020.
POWERBALL tickets are $2 per play. Tickets are sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings are held every Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET. Mega Millions tickets are also $2 per play. Tickets are sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings are held every Tuesday and Friday 10 p.m. ET. Proceeds from the sale of DC Lottery games are transferred to the DC General Fund.
Since its inception in 1982, the DC Lottery has awarded more than $3.8 billion in prizes, transferred more than $2.14 billion to the District's General Fund which supports essential services in the District, and has helped local nonprofits raise more than $134 million in support of social causes.