James Odette Jr. of Apex tried his luck on a $3 Powerball ticket Monday night and won a $500,000 prize.
Odette bought his lucky ticket from the Circle K on West Williams Street in Apex. He matched the numbers on four white balls and the red Powerball to win $50,000. Because he bought a Power Play ticket, his prize grew to $500,000 when the 10X multiplier hit.
He arrived at lottery headquarters on Thursday to claim his winnings and, after required federal and state tax withholdings, took home $357,501.
Saturday’s Powerball jackpot stands at a $92 million annuity or $43.4 million in cash. The odds of winning a Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292 million.
Powerball is one of six draw games in North Carolina where players have the option of buying their tickets at a retail location or with Online Play through the lottery’s website or the NC Lottery Official Mobile App.
For details on how $62.7 million raised by the lottery made a difference for education programs in Wake County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.