Raleigh woman wins “pie in the sky” $200,000 Powerball prize

Ann Gasperini of Raleigh enjoys playing the lottery but she never thought she would actually win big until a $3 Powerball ticket in Wednesday’s drawing won her a $200,000 prize.

“You never think the pie in the sky dreams will actually come true,” she said.

Gasperini said she plans to share her winnings with her daughter.

“She is a teacher and she is finishing her master’s and now she doesn’t have to worry about student loans,” Gasperini said.

Gasperini bought her lucky ticket using Online Play. She matched the numbers on four white balls and the red Powerball to win $50,000. Because she bought a Power Play ticket, her prize quadrupled to $200,000 when the 4X multiplier hit.

“I was like, ‘Holy cow,’” Gasperini laughed. “It was so out of the blue.”

She arrived at lottery headquarters Friday to claim her winnings and, after required federal and state tax withholdings, took home $143,501.

In addition to helping her daughter, Gasperini plans to share her winnings with her other children and help pay for her house.

Monday’s Powerball jackpot stands at a $1.6 billion annuity or $735.3 million in cash. 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.