Hemingford Man Wins $50,000 Playing Powerball

John Fistler of Hemingford won $50,000 playing Powerball from the Nebraska Lottery.

Fistler purchased his ticket at the Nebraska Lottery’s Event Trailer at the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island. Fistler’s ticket contained four plays for the August 23 drawing, one of which matched four of the five winning numbers (11, 14, 34, 47, 51) and the Powerball (18).

He’d come to the State Fair to check out the 4-H project his grandson entered and happened to walk past the Nebraska Lottery Events Trailer and just had a feeling.

“I usually play all the games,” Fistler said. “Lotto, Truck$ & Buck$. Something told me to just play Powerball and nothing else.”

That premonition paid off and Fistler walked away with a $50,000 win.

Powerball is a multi-state jackpot game currently offered by 45 state lotteries, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands. The odds of winning $50,000 playing Powerball are 1 in 913,129.18 while the overall odds of winning any prize are 1 in 24.9.

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Published on 10/03/2025