Man hits NC Powerball prize thanks to fortune cookie with his fried rice and shrimp
A Florida man scored a big North Carolina Powerball prize with numbers he used from a fortune cookie that came with his fried rice and shrimp, NC lottery officials said Tuesday.
Ernesto Sorzano bought the winning $500,000 ticket at a 7-Eleven on Sam Furr Road in Huntersville, according to a lottery news release.
He beat odds of 1 in 913,000, according to the Powerball website.
“That was a good investment,” Sorzano told officials of his takeout order from a Chinese restaurant.
Sorzano matched four of the white balls and the Powerball in Saturday’s drawing, winning $50,000. But he bought a $3 Power Play ticket, meaning his prize jumped 10-fold to $500,000 when the 10X multiplier was drawn, according to the lottery.
He claimed his prize on Monday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh, netting $353,751 after taxes, officials said.
Sorzano, who is from Florida, said he is moving to Huntersville and will use the money to buy a new home.
“Unbelievable,” he said. “I’m just super happy that my dreams came true.”
Sorzano’s was among three a winning tickets bought in North Carolina that matched four white balls and the Powerball in the drawing, officials aid.
Someone bought a $3 Power Play ticket worth $500,000 through Online Play on the lottery website., according to the lottery.
And a $2 ticket worth $50,000 was purchased at the QuikTrip on Dale Earnhardt Boulevard in Kannapolis.
No one won Saturday’s Powerball jackpot, which climbed to $90 million as an annuity or $64.2 million cash for Wednesday’s drawing.
The odds of winning a Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292 million.
