$100K Powerball prize collected in Lee County

A person shows his scan card for their personal selection numbers for a ticket for a Powerball drawing on Nov. 7, 2022 in Renfrew, Pa. An $835 million Powerball jackpot will be up for grabs Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023, for players willing to risk a couple dollars and brave incredibly long odds.(AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)

by: Judith Retana

Posted: Oct 23, 2023 / 02:44 PM EDT

Updated: Oct 23, 2023 / 02:44 PM EDT

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — A Lee County man managed to turn $3 into $100,000.

The North Carolina Education Lottery said James Blalock of Sanford purchased a $3 Power Play ticket from Short Stop on Carbonton Road in Sanford. He matched the numbers on four white balls and the red Powerball in the Oct. 18 drawing to win $50,000. His prize doubled to $100,000 when the 2X multiplier hit.

Winner, winner! 🤞 Read all the latest victory tales from the NC Lottery here

Blalock claimed his prize and, after required federal and state tax withholdings, took home $71,251.

Monday’s Powerball drawing offers a $85 million jackpot, or $36.9 million in cash.

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.

🎰 Winning numbers from the latest NC Education Lottery drawings

The lottery says ticket sales from draw games like Powerball raised more than $1 billion for education last year. For details on how $4.7 million raised by the lottery was used Lee County in 2022, click here and visit the “Impact” section.