If there was any doubt that playing the Kentucky Lottery was social entertainment, just ask eight employees of Avantor Performance Materials, a Paris, Ky. manufacturer, whose Powerball office pool won them $200,000.
The group recently carpooled to Lottery headquarters, entering the lobby with smiles, disbelief and a winning ticket from the Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, Powerball drawing.
“Total shock,” said one winner.
“I thought I was going to have a heart attack,” another winner said.
“I cried and I mean crying ugly,” another winner joked.
The leader of the office pool, Tim, said he always stays up and checks the group’s tickets after the Powerball drawings. The night the group won, Tim said, “I looked and then I looked closer,” he said. “Now my hands are shaking so I take my tablet and the ticket to my wife Karen and ask her to read off the numbers to me.”
Then she asked to see the ticket because she thought he “was lying.” The group had matched four numbers plus the Powerball.
“She got big eyes and said we had won $50,000,” Tim said. “I told her we had Power Play on the ticket, so we won $200,000.”
The multiplier for the Jan. 17th drawing was 4 times, which quadrupled the group’s winnings to $200,000. Power Play is an optional add-on for an extra $1 per play.
The next day Tim and Karen reached out to the members of the office pool through Facetime.
“I was at dinner with my family because it was my sister’s birthday, and I remember when he called me because I missed his first call,” a member of the office pool said. “I call him back, and it’s Karen on the phone. I’m like ‘oh my God something has happened to Tim.’”
The entire group breathed a sigh of relief when they learned they were splitting a $200,000 Powerball win, each taking home over $18,000 after taxes.
The co-workers created their office pool about four years ago.
The members plan to use their winnings to pay bills. Estepp’s Friendly Shell, 4107 Lexington Rd., Paris, Ky. 40361, will receive $2,000 for selling the winning ticket.
The Paris, Ky. manufacturer group is now among several office pool wins the Kentucky Lottery has seen in the last two years:
- The “Jones 30,” a group of 30 current and former staff members from R.A. Jones Middle School in Florence, Ky., won a $1 million Powerball prize from the Jan. 27, 2024, drawing.
- In March 2025, 17 employees from the Barton 1792 Distillery in Bardstown, Ky., won a $50,000 Powerball prize.
- A group of workers from TG Kentucky in Lebanon, Ky., a Toyoda Gosei Group automotive supplier, secured a $50,000 Powerball prize in December 2025.
“Kentucky Lottery office pools are a great way for players to enjoy our games as a group,” said Kentucky Lottery President and CEO Maggie Garrison. “For many, it’s a tradition that keeps coworkers and friends connected while having fun. When these groups win, the energy and joy they bring to the office is contagious. It’s truly a celebration for everyone.”
In 2025, the Kentucky Lottery paid out more than $1.6 billion in prizes. Kentucky Lottery proceeds have funded scholarships and grants for more than 1.1 million Kentucky college students.