Danny Averitt of Fayetteville is the winner of a $2 million Powerball prize, the largest of any won across the country in Wednesday’s drawing.

“I got up this morning and checked the numbers,” Averitt said. “I didn’t believe it at first. I had to check five or six times.”

Averitt beat the odds of 1 in 11,688,053 to win the $2 million prize. Across North Carolina, 48,673 tickets won prizes.

He claimed his prize Thursday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required state and federal tax withholdings, he received $1,390,020. He plans to save the money for retirement.

He bought the $3 Power Play ticket at the Circle K on McArthur Road in Fayetteville. The numbers matched five white balls to win $1 million. Because Averitt added the Power Play feature, the prize doubled to $2 million.

The jackpot for Saturday’s drawing has reached $435 million with an estimated lump sum of $273.1 million.

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 has made a difference in Cumberland County, click on the “For Education” section of the lottery’s website.