Western New Yorkers react to astonishing Powerball drawing

AOLMay 1, 2026

0 9 2 minutes read

Western New Yorkers react to astonishing Powerball drawing

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — An unprecedented number of people across the country can now call themselves millionaires after Wednesday night’s Powerball drawing.

There was a jackpot winner, but that’s not what shocked lottery experts and players — it’s the second-tier prize amount that saw a staggering 89 winners, 62 of which won $1 million.

The other 27 winners paid extra on their tickets for the Power Play feature, doubling their prize amount to $2 million.

“That’s insane,” one woman told WIVB News 4 in North Buffalo after she learned the news. “I’ve never tried Powerball before, but maybe this will get me to try the Powerball, but it’s incredible.”

While New York didn’t see any first or second prize winners Wednesday night, there were winners in a number of other states, including New Jersey and Indiana, who accounted for 37 of the wins.

Another resident told News 4 she was shocked at the number of winners.

“Not that many people usually win,” she said. “It usually goes days, sometimes even months, without people winning.”

Dawn Nettles from Texas has been labeled a lottery watchdog and has run lottoreport.com for nearly three decades. She told WIVB News 4 that she’s never seen anything like it.

The numbers that were drawn left Nettles and lottery experts stunned, as each winning number is exactly 16 numbers apart.

“I really went into shock,” Nettles said of her reaction. “I could not function, I couldn’t work, I couldn’t do anything because that was just impossible.”

For players who may be new to the lottery — Nettles has the following advice: pick your own numbers.

“I’ve been on a crusade for 20 years not to buy quick picks,” Nettles said. “If they pick their own numbers, I think they have a better chance, even though it’s a slim chance, the odds are so high that unless sales are high enough, there’s not gonna be a winner.”