Powerball, scratch-off players win 6-figure prizes

Two players won $200,000 and two others won $100,000 making them the biggest winners of the week.

One of the $200,000 wins belongs to Harry Graham, a retired carpenter from Richlands in Onslow County. He won it by scratching off a ticket for the new "$" instant game. “When I saw the first zero, I didn’t think much of it,” said Graham. “But I kept scratching and got some zeros. I scratched again and got some more zeros. I didn’t think I could see straight!”

The other $200,000 ticket almost got thrown away. Charlie Carroll Jr. of Smithfield was at the Speedway on U.S. 70 in Garner when he decided to buy an instant ticket for the first time ever. He won $100 on the ticket, and bought two more.

His third ticket turned out to be the big winner, but he didn’t realize it. “I didn’t know what it was,” Carrol said. “I thought I didn’t win anything.” He tucked the tickets in a folder and didn’t look at it for a week, until he was about to throw it away.

“It’s so surreal,” Carroll said. “I still don’t know why I saved it.” When he checked the ticket again, he saw the words ‘instant winner’ and took it back to the store. When the clerk told him he won $200,000, he didn’t know what to think. “I was overwhelmed,” Carroll said. “It’s kind of unbelievable.”

Another Johnston County player won $100,000 playing Powerball. Joyce Lewis of Clayton said she'll use the prize money to get a home makeover. She won the prize in the New Year's Eve drawing. She bought the $3 Power Play ticket at the Kangaroo Express on North Brightleaf Boulevard in Smithfield.

For Lindsay Jackson of Raleigh, a family tradition of getting scratch-off tickets as stocking stuffers turned into a $100,000 gift on Christmas morning. She got $50 worth of scratch-off tickets from the Kroger on Six Forks Road in Raleigh. She put some in her husband’s and parent’s stockings, and slipped a Mega Bucks ticket in her own. That's the one that turned out to be worth $100,000.

Three players scratched their way to $50,000 prizes:

- Kamaria Henderson of Henderson (Jumbo Bucks)
- Roderick Brandon of Chapel Hill (Junior Big Ol' Bucks)
- Terrell Parker of Goldsboro (10th Anniversary Millions)

Thanks to the $1 Megaplier feature and a 5X Megaplier in the Jan. 6 drawing, Michael Matthews of Chapel Hill multiplied his prize from $5,000 to $25,000. The estimated jackpot annuity for Tuesday's drawing is $150 million.

Six players won $10,000 instantly:

- Ralph Havis of Greensboro ($4,000,000 Platinum Payout)
- Ruschella Cunningham of Huntersville (Carolina Millions)
- Robert Dixon of Watha (Mega Fortune)
- Mohammad Lafee of Charlotte (Mega Fortune)
- Tonya Autry of Autryville (5X The Cash)
- Henriette Hensley of Burnsville (20X The Cash)

Sydne Grady of Havelock won the top prize of $7,000 on a $1 Lucky 7's ticket. There are still 12 top prizes in the game.

Eleven players won $5,000 prizes. They are from: Chadbourn, Charlotte, Cherryville, Gibsonville, Kernersville, Morganton, Rocky Mount, Salisbury, Sherrils Ford, Statesville, and Wilson.

Before we wrap up the winner wrap-up, a reminder that, as a state agency, our regional offices and claims centers across the state will be closed Monday in observance of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.