Powerball player’s persistence finally pays off with huge NC prize: ‘It blew my mind’
A North Carolina lottery player never misses a chance to play Powerball, and his dedication paid off in a big way.
“It blew my mind,” Joey Reece told the North Carolina Education Lottery of his $1 million win.
Reece, a resident of Valdese, netted the life-changing prize after he matched five numbers but not the Powerball in the drawing Saturday, Sept. 21, according to lottery officials.
He purchased his winning ticket from a Jack B Quick store in Granite Falls, officials said in a news release.
Reece claimed his winnings at lottery headquarters on Monday, Sept. 24, and took home $715,001 after taxes.
The North Carolina man said he plans to put his prize money to use to help his family and others who are in need. He’ll also invest a portion of his winnings.
“This is really going to help my family,” Reece told the North Carolina Education Lottery. “This is going to be a blessing.”
The next Powerball drawing is Sept. 25 with an estimated $223 million jackpot.
Valdese is about a 70-mile drive northwest from Charlotte.
What to know about Powerball
To score the jackpot in the Powerball, a player must match all five white balls and the red Powerball.
The odds of scoring the jackpot prize are 1 in 292,201,338.
Tickets can be bought on the day of the drawing, but sales times and price vary by state.
Drawings are broadcast Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays at 10:59 p.m. ET and can be streamed online.
Powerball is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
This story was originally published September 25, 2024 at 4:05 PM with the headline "Powerball player’s persistence finally pays off with huge NC prize: ‘It blew my mind’."