For six days Errol Buchanan of Raleigh walked around with a Powerball ticket worth $100,000 in his wallet and didn’t even know it.

“That’s where I always keep my tickets,” Buchanan said. “I can’t believe it was that much.”

He decided to check the ticket Monday night.

“The clerk scanned it and pulled me aside,” Buchanan said. “He told me to, ‘Sign the ticket and go straight home.’”

That’s when he knew he won $100,000 in Wednesday’s drawing, beating the odds of 1 in 913,129.

He claimed his prize Tuesday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required state and federal tax withholdings, he received $69,250. He plans to use the money to help his mom and save for retirement.

He bought the $3 Power Play ticket at the Circle K on Poole Road in Raleigh. The numbers matched four white balls and the Powerball to win $50,000. The prize doubled when the 2X multiplier was drawn for Power Play tickets.

Ticket sales from games like Powerball made it possible for the lottery to raise more than $634 million dollars for the state last year. For details on how lottery funds have made a difference in Wake County, click on the “For Education” section of the lottery’s website.