Texas man plays Powerball in N.C. and wins $150,000 prize

While traveling through Alamance County, Erdiw Rios Mariscal of Katy, Texas took a chance on a $3 Powerball ticket and won a $150,000 prize.

Mariscal bought his lucky Power Play ticket from Pilot Travel Centers on Jimmie Kerr Road in Graham. He matched the numbers on four white balls and the red Powerball to win $50,000 in the March 29 drawing. The prize tripled to $150,000 when the 3X multiplier hit. The odds of matching four white balls and the Powerball are 1 in 913,129.

Mariscal claimed his prize Monday at lottery headquarters and, after required federal and state tax withholdings, took home $106,876.

Wednesday’s Powerball drawing offers a $71 million jackpot, or $38.2 million in cash. The odds of winning a Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292 million.

Players can enter their Powerball tickets to compete in the NASCAR Powerball Playoff - Race to $1 Million second-chance promotion. Find more about it here.

Powerball is one of six lottery 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 with the NC Lottery Official Mobile App. The other games are Mega Millions, Lucky For Life, Pick 3, Pick 4, and Cash 5.