Azeez Aileru of Winston-Salem will start the New Year in a big way after claiming Wednesday a $1 million Powerball prize.

Aileru used his own numbers to win on a ticket he bought at the Circle K on West Clemmonsville Road in Winston-Salem. The lucky ticket matched the numbers on all five white balls in Saturday’s drawing. The odds of winning a $1 million prize are 1 in 11.7 million.

He claimed his prize at lottery headquarters in Raleigh on Wednesday. After federal and state tax withholdings, he took home $707,500.

The Powerball jackpot continues to climb after no one won it in Wednesday’s drawing. Saturday’s jackpot stands at $384 million as an annuity, or $295.4 million cash. The odds of winning a Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292 million.

Players can buy Powerball tickets at any lottery retail location or through Online Play on the lottery’s website, www.nclottery.com, or with the NC Lottery Official Mobile App.

Draw games such as Powerball make it possible for the lottery to raise money for education programs in North Carolina. Since the jackpot started growing in September, sales of Powerball tickets have raised more than $12.8 million for education.

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.