Leon Commerford III of Southport took a chance on a $3 Power Play ticket and won a $100,000 prize in the Aug. 5 Powerball drawing.

Commerford bought his lucky Quick Pick ticket from the Murphy Express on North Howe Street in Southport. He matched the numbers on four white balls and the red Powerball to win $50,000. His prize doubled to $100,000 when the 2X multiplier hit.

Commerford arrived at lottery headquarters Tuesday to claim his prize and, after required federal and state tax withholdings, took home $71,251.

Wednesday’s Powerball drawing offers an estimated $1.72 billion jackpot, or $756.6 million in cash. The jackpot represents the second largest in U.S. history.

Players can buy Powerball tickets at any lottery retail location or through Online Play on the lottery’s website or the NC Lottery Official Mobile App. The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292 million.

Ticket sales from draw games make it possible for the lottery to raise $2.8 million a day on average for education. For details on how $5.9 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Brunswick County in 2022, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.