When Ernesto Sorzano picked up his favorite Chinese take-out of fried rice and shrimp recently, he also got a Fortune cookie with a set of lucky numbers that won him a $500,000 Powerball prize.
“That was a good investment,” Sorzano said.
His Fortune cookie numbers matched four of the white balls and the Powerball in Saturday’s drawing, winning him $50,000. Because he bought a $3 Power Play ticket, his prize jumped ten times to $500,000 when the 10X multiplier was drawn.
Sorzano, who is from Estero, Florida, claimed his prize at lottery headquarters in Raleigh on Monday and took home $353.751 after required federal and state tax withholdings. He said he is moving to Huntersville and plans to use the money to buy a new home.
“Unbelievable,” said Sorzano. “I’m just super happy that my dreams came true.”
Sorzano’s ticket, purchased at the 7-Eleven on Sam Furr Road in Huntersville, was one of three bought in North Carolina that matched four white balls and the Powerball in Saturday’s drawing. The other $3 Power Play ticket, worth $500,000, was purchased through Online Play on the lottery’s website. A $2 ticket, worth $50,000, was purchased at the QuikTrip on Dale Earnhardt Boulevard in Kannapolis.
No one won Saturday’s Powerball jackpot. The jackpot climbed to $90 million as an annuity or $64.2 million cash for Wednesday’s drawing. 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.
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