RALEIGH - John Hudspeth of Greensboro plans to invest his recent lottery winnings for retirement. Hudspeth won $600,000 playing Powerball. His ticket matched all five white balls drawn. Since Hudspeth paid an extra dollar to Power Play his ticket, the usual $200,000 prize was increased to $600,000, thanks to the Power Play wheel landing on three for that drawing.
Hudspeth bought his winning ticket at Great Stops #6 on North Church Street in Greensboro. He says he had to check the numbers multiple times and then have his wife check the ticket before he believed that he’d really won.
Charlie Long of Greenville was at home Sunday morning when he called for his wife from another room. Long said that his wife thought something was wrong and wondered if he needed the rescue squad. She soon learned there was nothing wrong at all because her husband had matched all five white balls on Saturday’s Powerball drawing winning him $200,000.
Long picked his own numbers when he bought the ticket at Haddock’s Grocery in Winterville. He said he was already planning to buy a new car, but his prize will make purchasing one a little easier. He plans to save the rest.
Powerball was also lucky for at least two more players who hold tickets for Saturday night’s drawing worth $200,000 each. The two other tickets matching the five white balls were purchased in Jacksonville and Fayetteville.
A total of 38,242 North Carolina Powerball players won prizes in the Saturday, Nov. 22 Powerball drawing, ranging from $200,000 down to $3 for a total payout in prizes worth $972,309. One winning ticket in Indiana hit the jackpot so the estimated jackpot for Wednesday’s drawing is reset at $15 million.
For Russell Shervack of Cary, “Carolina Cash 5” was his lucky game. His ticket for the Nov. 19 drawing matched all five numbers drawn to win the top prize of $132,452.
Shervack says he normally picks his own numbers but decided to save time and let the computer pick the numbers for his ticket. He bought his winning ticket at the Circle K on North Harrison Avenue in Cary and says he plans to pay off his car loan and perhaps take a trip out west with his winnings.
Bruce Ellison of Tarboro went to purchase his mother a birthday present and on a whim bought a lottery ticket. Now he says his prize money from winning the top prize on the “$100,000 Gold Rush Ticket” will buy her an even nicer present. Ellison bought the scratch-off ticket at Thorne Drug Center in Tarboro and claimed his prize today.
Cecil Rector Jr. of Rocky Point was lucky with an instant scratch-off ticket last week. He bought one “Jingle Big Ol’ Bucks” ticket and won the top prize of $100,000!
Rector bought his winning ticket at Freshway Food Mart on U.S. Highway 117 South in Rocky Point. He says he plans to give some of his winnings to his church, use some for mortgage payments and perhaps buy a new car.
The North Carolina Education Lottery (NCEL) has paid out more than $4.8 million total in instant scratchoff ticket prizes since Thursday, Nov. 20. Also since Thursday, “Carolina Cash 5” players have won over $109,000 and “Carolina Pick 3” players have won more than $726,000 in prizes.
