A Fayetteville dad said he’s taking his daughter to Disney World after he won $100,000 in Wednesday night’s Powerball lottery drawing.
Steven Coleman said he gets weekly tickets at the Circle V Mart on South McPherson Church Road in Fayetteville. When he checked the Powerball ticket, it gave him a message about going to North Carolina Education Lottery headquarters.
“My daughter and I were heading out of the store when I stopped and thought, ‘wait a minute,'” recalled Coleman, who works as a finance director. He immediately signed the ticket and headed home after double checking that the ticket was a big winner.
Coleman matched four white ball numbers and the red Powerball number to win $50,000 on his $3 ticket. The Power Play feature on the prize gave him twice as much for his winnings. His odds of winning were 1-in-913,129.
“This is a blessing,” Coleman said. “I started to hold on to the ticket for a few months before claiming it.”
He instead went to the office Monday to claim his prize, which will be $71,017 after federal and state withholdings.
Coleman said he plans to take his daughter to Disney World with his Powerball winnings.
“She’s very excited to go,” Coleman said about his daughter. “We’ll probably go this summer.”
Monday night’s Powerball drawing has a $124 million jackpot, or $81.9 million in cash. The odds of winning that prize are 1 in 292 million.
Powerball is one of four lottery games in North Carolina where players have the option of buying their tickets either at a retail store and through Online Play on the lottery’s website, or with the NC Lottery Official Mobile App. The other games are Mega Millions, Lucky For Life, and Carolina Cash 5.
Ticket sales from draw games like Powerball make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $900 million per year for education. For details on how $22.7 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Cumberland County in 2021, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.
Which North Carolina City is Tops in the Country for Best Basketball Fans?
1. Durham, NC
There’s little doubt that Duke has the best college basketball fans in the country.
Was there much doubt that the home of the Duke Blue Devils would be the top spot in the country? No, not really. Unless you’re a UNC fan, in which case you might not like how far down you’re gonna have to go here to find Chapel Hill.
2. Storrs, Connecticut
UConn has been wildly successful in women’s and men’s basketball.
The UConn women’s team have been a power for so long, it’s hard to ever imagine a time where they weren’t the class of the sport.
3. Lexington, Kentucky
Rupp Arena is legendary for college basketball.
The University of Kentucky Wildcats are about the only thing Lexington is known for.
4. Lawrence, Kansas
LAWRENCE, KANSAS – MARCH 05: Jalen Wilson #10 of the Kansas Jayhawks reacts during the overtime period of the game against the Texas Longhorns at Allen Fieldhouse on March 05, 2022 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
(So if you saw this list earlier…we may have forgotten to put the Jayhawks on here. Oops.)
5. Los Angeles, California
The bright lights of Hollywood make L.A. a great basketball town.
With both UCLA and USC in the mix, it’s hard to argue that L.A. wouldn’t be this high on the rankings. Even with some less than stellar years from them in recent times.
6. East Lansing, Michigan
The Breslin Center makes Sparty a powerful force.
Michigan State fans are loud and proud of ol’ Sparty.
7. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
St. Joseph’s and Temple are great Philadelphia rivals.
This one kind of sneaks up on you. But when you look at the combined college basketball power of Temple, Drexel, La Salle, Saint Joseph’s and Penn, there’s a lot to be said here.
8. Chapel Hill, NC
Rameses, mascot of the North Carolina Tar Heels, is passed around the student section at the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Maybe this is a product of a couple down years for the Tar Heels. But that win over Duke last weekend certainly makes up for the loss in these rankings.
10. Kingston, Rhode Island
Rhode Island is a great state with some legendary basketball.
We’re stumped on this one too. Rhode Island isn’t exactly a power.
49. Boiling Springs, NC
Never underestimate the Runnin Bulldogs.
The home of Gardner-Webb, a solid hoops community all around.
89. Davidson, NC
Steph Curry certainly had a big hand in establishing Davidson.
Wonder what made those little guys from Davidson so successful…hmmm…
180. Raleigh, NC
Mr. Wuf has seen better days on the court in Raleigh.
Where you at NC State fans? Hopefully, you’re doing better than the Pack is on the court.