Check out this Powerball winner story about how a quick grocery stop turned into a $100,000 Powerball win for Robert Shea in Wakefield.
For Robert Shea of Wakefield, Rhode Island, a quick trip to Shaw’s Supermarket in his hometown turned into a story he’ll be telling for years.
On August 15, 2025, he walked in to pick up groceries and walked out holding onto something much bigger. He grabbed a Powerball ticket with the Power Play feature that later turned out to be worth $100,000.
Shea didn’t expect it. He wasn’t chasing a dream or following a system. He bought a ticket on a whim, the way many of us might. By the end of the day, that small decision had changed everything.
The Story: From Quick Pick to $100,000
Shea spent 33 years working in the medical field. Playing Powerball was never a routine. “Since the jackpot was high, I decided to play,” he said. That day, the high jackpot tempted him to pick up a Quick Pick ticket at Shaw’s on Old Tower Hill Road in Wakefield.
After the drawing, Shea checked his ticket on the Rhode Island Lottery app. At first, he thought he had won only $100. He slipped the ticket into the console of his car and carried it around for hours, never imagining just how valuable it really was. When he tried to cash it in at the store, the clerk said they could not pay that amount. Shea guessed the prize might be $5,000.
It wasn’t until later that evening that the full truth sank in that it was actually a $50,000 prize. Shea asked his partner, a financial analyst, to double-check the ticket. It was then that they remembered he had also played the Power Play option. With a multiplier of two, Shea’s $50,000 prize had doubled.
The Fun of the Powerball Multiplier
For those new to the game, Powerball tickets cost $2 each. By adding the Power Play option for $1, non-jackpot winnings can be multiplied by two to five times, or sometimes even 10 times, depending on the number drawn. Shea’s $50,000 prize doubled to $100,000 thanks to a 2x multiplier.
Each Powerball drawing has two parts. There's the main draw (five white balls and the red Powerball) and the Power Play draw. That second one happens right before the winning numbers are announced. A separate machine (yes, a whole other set of bouncing balls) randomly selects a multiplier: 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X, or sometimes 10X.
Now, here’s where it gets interesting. If you added Power Play to your ticket for just one extra dollar, that multiplier applies to all non-jackpot prizes.
So if you matched, say, four white balls and the Powerball for a $50,000 prize, and the Power Play drawn was 5X, boom, you’re suddenly looking at $250,000. Same numbers, same ticket, way more bragging rights.
The only catch? The 10X multiplier is only in play when the jackpot is under $150 million. It’s one of those little choices that can make a massive difference, as Robert Shea can attest to.
A Little Extravagant and a Little Practical
Shea already has plans for the winnings. First up, a sunny escape to Aruba is at the top of his list, a chance to unwind after decades in the medical field. Back home, he’s taking a more practical approach to using his newly won funds. Shea plans to tackle a little home improvement project by repaving the driveway.
It’s the kind of balance many people can imagine for themselves. It's one-part splurge, a little practicality, and the comfort of knowing you can finally check off something that’s been waiting in the background.
A Surprise in the Everyday
Shea’s day started like any other. A quick stop at the supermarket. A simple ticket purchase. By evening, he was holding a ticket worth $100,000 in his hands and had joined the ranks among the many Powerball winners.