It was the luck of the draw in more ways than one for Jeff Wilson of Kings Mountain. Little did he know that when his father fanned out several Powerball tickets in front of him that the ticket he chose would wind up making him a millionaire.
People all across the state and especially in Kings Mountain where the ticket was purchased have been abuzz wondering who may be holding the $88.1 million winning Powerball ticket. Wilson and his family arrived at North Carolina Education Lottery (NCEL) headquarters to be introduced to the public.
After NCEL executive director Tom Shaheen congratulated Wilson and presented him with the giant ceremonial check, Wilson recounted his windfall story. “My dad will sometimes buy tickets and let my sister, brother and me choose one that is ours,” Wilson said. Wilson’s ticket was a Quick Pick (computer generated) ticket and the numbers were drawn in the June 20 Powerball drawing. The jackpot for the drawing was $88.1 million. He has elected to take the lump sum cash payment of $42.4 million. The 27-year old told NCEL officials that he is uncertain about what he will do with the money. “I didn’t believe my dad when he told me that I had won and I think I’m still in disbelief,” Wilson said. When asked what he thought may be his first purchase he said, “Maybe a house or a car." Wilson added that the money will also be helpful for when he attends graduate school in the fall. Wilson’s father purchased the ticket at the Petro Express on Cleveland Avenue in Kings Mountain.
Other lucky big winners Saturday night included 3 tickets sold in Nebraska (1), Connecticut (1), and Tennessee (1) that matched all 5 white numbers with the Power Play and won $1 million cash each. This was a result of the new Power Play feature that turns any match 5 white ball win with the Power Play into a 5X multiplier and pushes the prize up to $1 million cash! Nine other lucky tickets in Colorado (1), Iowa (1), Indiana (1), Minnesota (1), Missouri (2), North Carolina (1), Pennsylvania (1), and South Dakota (1) matched all 5 white ball numbers without the multiplier for a sensational $200,000 cash win on each. In addition, 639,426 tickets across the nation won a total of $9,294,099 in prizes.
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