Thanks to a second chance drawing, a pair of South Dakota Lottery players will ring in the new year in New York and could return as a millionaire.
Julie Plunkett of Kranzburg and Kelly Engen of Brookings were named South Dakota’s winners of the New Year’s Rockin’ Eve promotion. The South Dakota Lottery, along with other lotteries in the U.S., participated in this second chance drawing which allowed players to enter non-winning Powerball tickets.
The prize for the second chance drawing includes an all-expenses paid trip to Times Square for New Year’s Eve, as well as entry into an additional drawing to become 2020’s first millionaire. The winner of the million-dollar drawing will be announced on ABC’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve broadcast.
For both Plunkett and Engen, the second chance drawing caught their attention immediately. Engen was browsing the South Dakota Lottery’s website to check the winning numbers, while Plunkett’s husband, Dale, alerted her of a chance of a lifetime.
Plunkett’s husband will be her guest on the trip, as New York holds a special place in the couple’s heart. She notes that Dale proposed to her at the Statue of Liberty, and that she’s already looking forward to making some new memories throughout the Big Apple.
This also won’t be Engen’s first trip to New York. While he has experienced some of the sites throughout the city, he and his brother, Dwight, are looking forward to experiencing even more this time around.
Engen’s second venture to New York is one that was met with disbelief at first. Engen notes that the second chance drawing hadn’t really crossed his mind once he entered, but he was reminded of it in exciting fashion.
While both of South Dakota’s winners are looking forward to spending the new year in New York, both can’t help but think about their chance to kick off the new year by becoming a millionaire to kick off the new year. Each will be one of about 300 contestants with a chance of becoming 2020’s first big winner.
While other South Dakota Lottery players no longer have a shot at ringing in 2020 in Times Square, Engen did offer some advice for his fellow players when it comes to the Lottery’s many second chance drawings.
“Get the app and scan your tickets,” Engen said. “Don’t think you can’t win because it can happen.”