Linda Thomas of Charlotte uses her lucky numbers to buy a Powerball ticket every week. And on Saturday, March 3, her lucky numbers paid off with a $1 million Powerball prize.

“I like playing draw games like Powerball,” said Thomas. “So when I heard them talking about a $1 million win on Sunday, I thought, ‘Good for them.’ And honestly just didn’t think anything of it.”

The next day, Thomas, a quality control supervisor at a medical supply company, remembered she hadn’t checked her ticket. When she did, she couldn’t believe her eyes.

“I always circle any numbers I match,” said Thomas. “So I circled the first number, then the next number, and it just kept going! I knew I had matched five numbers, but I didn’t know how much I had won.”

Her $2 ticket for the March 3 drawing matched the numbers on all five white balls to win $1 million. It beat odds of one in 11.7 million to win the prize.

“I just can’t believe it.” Thomas said. “I’m going to buy a car! I’m thinking either a Jeep or an Audi.”

Thomas bought the lucky ticket at Earps on Cambridge Commons Drive in Charlotte. She claimed her prize Monday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required state and federal tax withholdings, she took home $705,010.

The jackpot for Wednesday’s Powerball drawing has reached $420 million, with an estimated lump sum of $248.7 million. The current jackpot ranks as the 14th largest in Powerball history. The odds of winning the jackpot are one in 292 million.

Ticket sales from draw games like Powerball make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $600 million a year for the state. For details on how lottery funds have made a difference in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website.