North Carolina – 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.