West Virginia – Stanis Tabler of Charles Town is West Virginia’s latest $1 million winner from the popular Powerball™ game. Tabler matched five numbers and missed only the Powerball number in the Wednesday, January 9, Powerball drawing.
Tabler, a professional driver who admittedly rarely plays Powerball™, purchased his lucky ticket at the South End BP on Winchester Avenue in Martinsburg on a whim that started his new year off right.
“I play the Lottery weekly, but I play Lotto America regularly and do not play Powerball that often,” Tabler said. “I cashed in my Lotto America tickets and won $20. So, on a whim, I just told the cashier to give me $20 in Powerball tickets and that is how I won.”
The South End BP will receive a 1% bonus of $10,000 for selling the ticket.
“I did not find out about it until Thursday when I stopped at a store on my way to Beckley to check my tickets and when I scanned it through the ticket checker it said winner. I then took it to the clerk and the machine printed out the winner claim in Charleston ticket and I then realized I had matched five of the numbers. I couldn’t believe it and drove straight to Charleston. I also only missed the Powerball number by one. The Powerball number that night was 22 and my ticket had 23.”
Tabler claimed his prize at Lottery headquarters that day, however he asked that the West Virginia Lottery delay his win announcement until he could surprise his wife on Saturday, which happened to be her birthday.
“I took her out to breakfast for her birthday on Saturday and had balloons for her. I gave her a framed photograph of me holding the giant check and told her Happy Birthday, this is what every woman wants. A picture of me,” Tabler said. “She was shocked and couldn’t believe it when I told her. She said it was the best birthday ever.”
Tabler said he plans to continue working, however he will use a portion of his winnings to take his wife on a vacation to Hawaii for their 30th wedding anniversary this year, the same place they honeymooned.