Denise Horta and Tammy Lee, sisters from Hot Springs Village, are as close as can be. So close, they are even splitting a $500,000 lottery prize after purchasing a winning Powerball® ticket. The sister duo recently claimed their prize at the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery Claim Center in Little Rock. 

The winning Quick Pick ticket was sold at East Gate Food Mart, 140 Laplaza W. in Hot Springs Village, for the May 10 drawing. The winning numbers were 21, 24, 33, 55, and 69, with the Powerball being 3. The Power Play® multiplier was 10. 

“We live together, so I told Tammy to pick me up a Powerball ticket since she was going to the store. She also purchased a Natural State Jackpot ticket,” Horta said. “That night, I was getting ready to shower and decided to check the tickets on the Arkansas lottery app.”

The sisters did not win anything on Natural State Jackpot, but Horta was stunned when she discovered they had a winning Powerball ticket. 

“Denise and I double-checked the ticket together,” Lee said. “We were still unsure because we had never seen the 10X multiplier before, so we called our sister and brother-in-law in California to confirm our win. Our brother-in-law is a lottery expert.” 

The siblings matched four white balls and the Powerball number. However, since they purchased the Power Play for an additional $1, they multiplied their $50,000 prize by 10. Typically, Power Play multipliers range from 2 – 5X. But, when the advertised jackpot is $150 million or less, a 10X is added to the field.                                                           

“This was the first time the 10X has been drawn as a Power Play multiplier this year, and the 14th time the 10X multiplier has been drawn since it was introduced to the game,” said Eric Hagler, Arkansas Scholarship Lottery executive director. 

With their winnings, Horta said she would like to pay off her credit card and pay on the sisters’ mortgage, while Lee said she plans to pay bills, save and purchase a handicap-accessible van for her son. 

“We always agreed that if either of us wins the lottery, we will split the winnings 50/50,” both said. 

Retailers receive a 1 percent commission from the sales of winning lottery products, which means East Gate Food Mart will receive a $5,000 commission check for selling the winning Powerball ticket. 

The Powerball jackpot for tonight is $135 million. For more information, go to MyArkansasLottery.com. 

About the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery

More than 92 cents of every dollar of ASL revenue goes to prizes, scholarships, retailer commissions, and other expenses in Arkansas. Since 2009, the lottery has raised more than $1.2 billion in proceeds for scholarships. More than 720,000 college scholarships have been awarded to Arkansans. The lottery has awarded more than $4.5 billion in prizes to players, about $381 million in retailer commissions, and provided more than $165 million in state and federal tax revenue.

Follow the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Visit MyArkansasLottery.com for more information on scholarships, winners, games, odds, promotions – and to join The Club for free. To hear winning numbers, call the Winning Numbers Hotline at 501-682-IWON (4966). To get help with problem gambling, contact the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.