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CORRALES MAN PLAYS SAME NUMBERS FOR 15 YEARS, WINS $200,000 NEW MEXICO LOTTERY PRIZE
July 18, 2011
After playing the same six numbers for the past 15 years, Corrales resident Donald Urbielewicz (pronounced Ur-bill-a-wits) won a $200,000 prize from the New Mexico Lottery.
Urbielewicz’ ticket for the July 9 Powerball drawing matched the winning white ball numbers of 1, 9, 11, 23 and 31. He missed the red Powerball of 6 to win the night’s jackpot of $36 million.
A creature of habit, Urbielewicz discovered his good fortune during his daily visit to the lottery’s website. After seeing his family’s birthdates listed as winning Powerball numbers, Urbielewicz’ first thought was that he might have forgotten to buy a ticket.
“I went out to my truck and made sure I really had played that drawing,” he said. “Whew.”
After retrieving the lucky ticket, Urbielewicz told his wife.
“The way he sounded, I thought maybe a pet had died,” Karen Urbielewicz said. “He took me to the computer in the office and he said, ‘We won $200,000.’”
While claiming his prize at lottery headquarters Friday, Urbielewicz said he recently discovered that he had been playing the wrong date for his stepson’s birthday.
“After 15 years, I was too superstitious to correct it,” he said.
After replacing the roof on their home, the couple plans to give gifts to their favorite charity and make investments.
Urbielewicz purchased his lucky ticket at Albertson’s No. 937 located at 10131 Coors Blvd. NW in Albuquerque. Previously, the store has sold 13 large prize-winning lottery tickets paying between $1,000 and $250,000.
Earlier in the month, Albuquerque residents Antonio Sanchez won a $200,000 Scratchers prize while Jerry Staehlin won $152,000 playing Roadrunner Cash.
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