A group of co-workers have a lot to talk about around the water cooler after their $3 Powerball ticket brought them a payday of $100,000.
“We really won the lottery,” the co-workers told each other as they gathered at lottery headquarters to claim the prize.
Dwane Heyward, of Georgetown, South Carolina; Keshia Gary, of Southern Pines; Thomasine Hairston, from Bennettsville, South Carolina; Saad Pressley, of Rockingham; Genesis McLaurin, of Hamlet; and Kaprise McLean, of Laurinburg, call themselves ‘The Money Team. They play lottery games as a group and share the prize money.
Heyward says she received a notification that the group’s ticket was a winning one. However, she only thought they won $500. She put the whole team on a group call, and they realized they won $100,000 together.
“We didn’t believe it until it happened,” Heyward said.
Heyward bought the group’s lucky ticket from Walmart on North Tryon Street in Charlotte. The ticket matched the numbers on four white balls and the red Powerball in the August 23rd drawing to win $50,000. Because they bought a Power Play ticket, the prize doubled to $100,000 when the 2X multiplier hit.
The Money Team arrived at lottery headquarters Tuesday to claim their prize, and after required federal and state tax withholdings, the group shared the $71,751.
Wednesday’s Powerball drawing offers a $1.4 billion jackpot, or $634.3 million in cash. The jackpot ranks as the fourth in Powerball history and the sixth largest among U.S. lottery jackpots. The odds of winning a Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292 million.
Powerball is one of six draw games in North Carolina where players have the option of buying their tickets at a retail location or with Online Play through the lottery’s website or the NC Lottery Official Mobile App.
For details on how lottery funds have made a difference in North Carolina, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery's website.