(Memphis) No one won the big jackpot in Tennessee but there were more than 190,000 secondary winners.
Two people, one in Nashville and the other in Brentwood, won a million dollars each.
However, the biggest winners according to state lottery officials are students in the state of Tennessee.
After 16 drawings, the Powerball Jackpot reached $587 million. That’s a lot of money for the two winners and a lot of money for Tennessee students. This drawing adds almost $13 million for education programs in Tennessee.
“It helped me be a part of this school for me. It helped me big time. I really appreciate it. I’m thankful for it actually,” said Jonathan Spikner, University of Memphis Hope Scholarship recipient.
The bulk of the lottery money in Tennessee goes to college scholarships, usually $3,000 to $4,000 per student that qualifies. Students must maintain a “B” average to keep it. Vinny Bleau studies hard to keep his scholarship but says its value is beginning to diminish.
He hopes money raised from ticket sales during big Powerball Jackpots will eventually lead to lottery officials increasing the value of scholarships.
“With rising tuition it’s becoming less and less of a portion of our bill or whatever so maybe something needs to be done about it. Maybe increase the lottery funding to adjust for the rising cost of tuition,” said Vinny Bleau, University of Memphis Hope Scholarship recipient.
After school programs in Tennessee, also get a portion of lottery money.