Carl Lewis of Cedar Point tried his luck on a Powerball ticket for the game’s first Monday night drawing and won a $1 million prize.
His $2 Quick Pick ticket matched numbers on all five white balls in the Aug. 23 drawing to win the highest prize nationally in the drawing. The odds of matching all five white balls in a drawing are 1 in 11.6 million.
Lewis purchased his winning ticket from the Harris Teeter on Raleigh Road Parkway West in Wilson.
He claimed his prize Thursday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh and took home $707,501 after required federal and state tax withholdings.
Lewis collected his $1 million prize as North Carolinians try their luck this weekend, with two major jackpots that total $777 million.
Friday’s Mega Millions jackpot stands at a $368 million as an annuity prize, or $263.7 million in cash. Saturday’s Powerball jackpot weighs in at $409 million as an annuity prize, that is worth $295.7 million in cash.
The odds of winning a Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 302 million and the odds of winning a Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292 million.
Players can buy Powerball tickets through Online Play on the lottery’s website, www.nclottery.com, with the NC Lottery Official Mobile App, or at any lottery retail location.
Ticket sales from draw games like Powerball make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $900 million a year for education.
In December, Carteret County was awarded a $10 million school construction grant from money raised by the lottery. For additional information on how money raised by the lottery makes a difference in Carteret County, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.