Joseph Gillette Jr. of Deep Run tried his luck on a $3 Power Play ticket and won a $150,000 prize in Wednesday’s Powerball drawing.

Gillette bought his lucky Quick Pick ticket using Online Play. He matched the numbers on four white balls and the red Powerball to win $50,000. His prize tripled to $150,000 when the 3X multiplier hit.

He arrived at lottery headquarters to claim his prize and, after required federal and state tax withholdings, took home $106,876.

Wednesday’s Powerball drawing offers a $1.2 billion jackpot, or $551.7 million in cash. The jackpot represents the third largest in Powerball history.

Players can buy Powerball tickets at any lottery retail location or through Online Play on the lottery’s website or the NC Lottery Official Mobile App. The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292 million.

Ticket sales from draw games like Powerball make it possible for the lottery to raise $2.8 million a day on average for education. For details on how $3.8 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Lenoir County in 2022, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.