For Bruce Dunlap and his wife Nefertiti Jones of Charlotte, a Powerball ticket became an unexpected birthday surprise when they won $150,000 in Wednesday’s drawing.

Bruce learned about the win a day before his birthday.

“It’s a pretty great birthday gift,” Bruce said.

Once he found out, he immediately drove to the medical center where his wife Nefertiti works as a scheduling assistant.

When he told her they won $150,000 she couldn’t believe it.

“All I could say was, ‘Is this for real?’” Nefertiti said. “I kept making him check the numbers on the ticket.”

The couple claimed the prize Monday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required state and federal tax withholdings, they received $103,875. They plan to use some of the money for a family vacation and put the rest in savings.

They bought the $3 Power Play ticket at the Kwick Mart on Albemarle Road in Charlotte. The numbers matched four white balls and the Powerball to win $50,000. The prize tripled when the 3X multiplier was drawn for Power Play tickets.

The Powerball jackpot has grown to an annuity of $361 million or $250.3 million cash in Wednesday’s drawing.

Ticket sales from games like Powerball made it possible for the lottery to raise more than $600 million dollars for the state last year. For details on how over $352.6 million in lottery funds has made a difference in Mecklenburg County, click on the “Where the Money Goes” section of the lottery’s website.