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Jonathan Gonzalez of Salisbury asked his grandparents, his uncle, his father, and his sister for help with a Powerball ticket and the good luck they shared won him $1 million.
“I had them each pick a number from one to 69,” said Gonzalez. “And those were the numbers I played.”
Armed with his brand new numbers, he went to the Speedway off South Main Street in Salisbury to buy his ticket.
Those lucky numbers matched all five white balls in the drawing, beating odds of 1 in 11.6 million to win the $1 million prize. These family members lost their house in a fire last year, a day after his birthday.
“I picked the Powerball number and that was the only one I didn’t match,” he laughed.
Gonzalez claimed his prize on Monday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After state and federal tax withholdings, he took home $707,501.
He said he planned to share his good luck with the family members who helped him because a year ago they lost their home to a fire. He said he also planned to pay off his mortgage.
The jackpot for Wednesday’s Powerball drawing is an estimated $95 million or $76.7 million cash.
Ticket sales from draw games like Powerball make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $700 million per year for education. For details on how $7.5 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Rowan County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.
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