Arkansas woman wins $2 million after playing family birth dates on Powerball ticket

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KATV) — A northeast Arkansas woman won $2 million after playing family birth dates on a Powerball ticket, the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery reported Monday.

The lottery said in a news release that Carolyn -- no last name was provided -- purchased the winning ticket at a Quick Stop gas station at 1325 S. Caraway Road in Jonesboro. She played the numbers one and two for her birthday and her brother's birthday. She'd played those numbers in the past.

The rest of the numbers were randomly selected by the computer.

When Carolyn checked the winning numbers -- 1, 2, 7, 52, 61 and Powerball number 4 -- she was in disbelief, according to the release.

“I called my brother to confirm,” she said. “He asked me to read off the numbers on my ticket, and he compared to the winning numbers and told me I was a big winner.”

Carolyn plans to buy a house with her winnings, the release says. She also plans to help her mother and brother pay off their houses. She said the lottery win was a "true blessing."

The lottery reported that Carolyn is the fourth player this year to claim a prize of $1 million or more.