The Powerball lottery is one of the most popular multi-state lottery games in the United States. It is played in 45 states, including Oklahoma, as well as Washington D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Powerball offers some of the largest jackpot prizes available, often climbing into the hundreds of millions of dollars. Naturally, this leads many to wonder – just how many people have won the Powerball jackpot specifically in the state of Oklahoma?
Quick Answer
Since Powerball began in 1992, there have been 8 Powerball jackpot winners from the state of Oklahoma as of October 2022.
Breakdown of Oklahoma Powerball Jackpot Winners
Here is a breakdown of the Powerball jackpot winners from Oklahoma over the years:
- November 2012: Donald Lawson of Lugert won $337.8 million
- August 2008: The Redfield Family Trust of Tulsa won $206.9 million
- October 2005: Jack and Mary Slagle of Harrah won $108.5 million
- December 2003: Larry and Nancy Ross of Edmond won $110 million
- July 1999: Jack Blair of Tuttle won $192 million
- May 1999: James and Terri O’Brien of Tulsa won $61.5 million
- April 1998: Randy Ross of Edmond won $55 million
- January 1996: Eddie Tipton of Edmond won $24 million
As you can see, Oklahomans have had their fair share of luck winning huge Powerball jackpots over the past 30 years. The biggest winners were Donald Lawson who took home over $337 million in 2012 and Jack Blair who won $192 million back in 1999.
Total Oklahoma Powerball Winners
In total, there have been 8 jackpot winners from Oklahoma who have won nearly $1.2 billion combined in Powerball prize money as of October 2022. However, in addition to these jackpot winners, there have been many more Oklahomans who have won smaller Powerball prizes ranging from $1 million to $2 million.
According to the Oklahoma Lottery Commission, since Powerball began in the state in 2009, Oklahomans have won over $88 million in total Powerball prizes across all prize levels. This includes:
- 8 jackpot wins totaling $1.2 billion
- 33 second prize wins of $1 million
- Over 500 third prize wins of $10,000
- Thousands of smaller Powerball prize wins
So in total, Oklahoma Powerball players have won well over $1.3 billion over the years from jackpot wins and smaller prize amounts.
Powerball Winning Odds in Oklahoma
The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot prize in Oklahoma are the same as in every other participating state. The odds currently stand at 1 in 292.2 million. For context, that means a person is more likely to become a movie star or get struck by lightning than to hit the Powerball jackpot.
Here are the overall odds of winning some sort of prize in the Powerball lottery, ranging from the $1 million second prize up to the jackpot:
| Prize Level | Odds of Winning |
|---|---|
| First prize jackpot | 1 in 292,201,338 |
| Second prize | 1 in 11,688,053.52 |
| Third prize | 1 in 913,129.18 |
| Fourth prize | 1 in 36,525.17 |
| Fifth prize | 1 in 14,494.11 |
As you can see, while winning the jackpot is exceedingly rare, a player’s overall odds of winning any prize improve dramatically as the prize levels get lower. Oklahoma players have roughly a 1 in 25 chance of winning something during their lifetime if they consistently play Powerball.
Recent Oklahoma Powerball Winners
While there hasn’t been a jackpot winner from Oklahoma since 2012, Oklahomans continue to win smaller Powerball prizes on a regular basis. Here are some of the most recent notable Powerball wins in Oklahoma:
- In August 2022, a player in Mustang won $50,000 on a Powerball ticket purchased at OnCue.
- In June 2022, Timothy Sterlena of Tulsa won $2 million on a Powerball ticket he purchased at QuikTrip.
- In May 2022, two Oklahoma Lottery players won $1 million each playing Powerball.
- In March 2022, Powerball players in Enid and Madill each won $50,000 prizes.
While no one from Oklahoma has hit the huge 9 or 10-figure jackpots in the past decade, residents continue to take home substantial prizes ranging from $50,000 up to $2 million on a regular basis.
Biggest Powerball Jackpots Won in Oklahoma
Here are the 3 biggest Powerball jackpot prizes ever won by players in Oklahoma:
- $337.8 million – Won by Donald Lawson of Lugert in November 2012 on a ticket purchased at the T-N-T Food Mart in Dearborn, Missouri. This stands as the biggest Powerball prize ever won by an Oklahoma resident.
- $206.9 million – Won by the Redfield Family Trust of Tulsa in August 2008. The ticket was purchased at Naifeh’s Food Mart in Wagoner.
- $192 million – Won by Jack Blair of Tuttle in July 1999 on a ticket purchased at Pete’s Foodway in Tuttle. This was the biggest Powerball jackpot in the game’s history at the time.
All three of these record Oklahoma Powerball prizes were worth over $100 million. Unfortunately, no resident has hit a jackpot during the lottery’s more recent run of giant jackpots going over $500 million and even topping $1 billion.
Where Jackpot Winners Bought Tickets in Oklahoma
While lottery luck ultimately comes down to chance, some stores in Oklahoma have sold more than their fair share of big winning Powerball tickets. Here are some of the luckiest Oklahoma retailers that have sold jackpot winning tickets:
- T-N-T Food Mart in Dearborn, MO – Sold Donald Lawson’s $337.8 million jackpot winner in 2012
- Naifeh’s Food Mart in Wagoner – Sold a $206.9 million jackpot ticket in 2008
- Pete’s Foodway in Tuttle – Sold a $192 million ticket to Jack Blair in 1999
- OnCue in Mustang – Has sold two Powerball second prize tickets worth $1 million each
Stores that have sold big winning tickets in the past are popular places for players to purchase their Powerball tickets today in hopes that some of the luck will rub off on them. But in reality, retailers have no impact on the random Powerball number selections.
Conclusion
While winning the Powerball jackpot remains a long shot, Oklahomans have fared better than most, producing 8 jackpot winners over the history of the lottery. These big winners have taken home almost $1.2 billion in combined jackpot prizes.
While Powerball jackpot wins may get all the headlines, Oklahoma players win smaller Powerball prizes ranging from $4 up to $2 million on a regular basis. All together, Oklahoma residents have won over $1.3 billion playing Powerball since the state joined the lottery in 2009.
So while the odds are stacked against any one player hitting the jackpot, Oklahomans have proven over the years that they know a thing or two about winning Powerball. With such a successful history, there is always the chance that the next Powerball jackpot winner could come from the Sooner State.
