RALEIGH – Thomas Anderson of Burlington always planned to go back to school one day and now he can after a $3 Powerball ticket won him a $100,000 prize.
“I’m going to use this to go back to school for data analytics,” he said.
Anderson bought his lucky Quick Pick ticket using Online Play after a suggestion from his roommate.
“He reminded me about the Powerball drawing so I bought my tickets,” Anderson said.
He matched the numbers on four white balls and the red Powerball in the Dec. 8 drawing to win $50,000. Because he bought a Power Play ticket, his prize doubled to $100,000 when the 2X multiplier hit.
“I immediately jumped up yelling,” Anderson said recalling his winning moment. “I was super excited.”
He arrived at lottery headquarters Wednesday to claim his winnings and, after required federal and state tax withholdings, took home $71,791.
In addition to paying for school, Anderson plans to use his winnings to take his roommate on a holiday trip to Florida to see his roommate's mother and visit Universal Studios in Orlando.