North Carolina Powerball Winner Gets More Than He Bargained For

North Carolina Powerball Winner Gets More Than He Bargained For
Tuesday, October 24, 2017

A lottery fan from North Carolina got a little more than he bargained for when he checked his Powerball ticket. Michael McNair, from the town of Spencer in Rowan County, initially thought that he had won $1 million, but was delighted to discover his entry was actually worth a great deal more.

“I ‘Power Played’”

Having matched the numbers 1, 3, 13, 19 and 69 in the Powerball draw on Wednesday 11th October, Michael McNair was left feeling ecstatic after clinching a Powerball prize worth $1 million. Experiencing a mixture of jubilation and shock, the joyous winner immediately picked up the phone and called his mother, eager to share the news.

However, in his haste to let her know, there was one small matter that Michael had overlooked. “Oh wait,” he said, stopping abruptly. “Hold on. I ‘Power Played’.” In the rush of excitement, the lucky winner had failed to spot that he had selected the Power Play option, an additional feature that meant Michael had actually doubled his win!

What is Power Play?

Players can opt into Power Play when they buy Powerball tickets. For an extra $1, any non-jackpot prize won on that entry is boosted. The Match 5 prize is doubled, whereas the lower-tier awards are multiplied by a number randomly selected before the main Powerball drawing.

Right Place at the Right Time

The gleeful ticket holder, who purchased his Quick Pick entry from J&K convenience store on Concord Mills Boulevard in Concord, wasted no time in contacting North Carolina State Lottery officials to arrange a meeting. Having just defied odds of one in 11,688,054, Michael regaled staff at lottery headquarters with how fate was clearly on his side when he bought his ticket: “I was at the right place at the right time.”

Officials confirmed that Michael, who was just one number away from scooping a jackpot of $127.1 million, was the biggest winner in the country on the night of the draw. Still floating high on cloud nine, the overjoyed victor told reporters that he plans to use the money to construct a custom-built home for his family and splash some cash on a white BMW.

Now it’s Your Turn

If you would like to find yourself caught up in a wave of excitement too, don’t miss out on taking part in Wednesday’s Powerball draw, when the prize on offer will be a colossal $191 million. So, for your chance to win, simply select your numbers online or play through an authorised retailer in any participating state or jurisdiction. Good luck!