Orange County man enjoys “fluke” $100,000 Powerball win

When Robert Goss of Chapel Hill got a notification that he won a prize playing Powerball, he never expected that he won $100,000.

“I thought maybe it was $8 or $16,” he laughed.

Goss bought his lucky $3 ticket for the May 13 drawing using Online Play. He matched the numbers on four white balls and the red Powerball to win $50,000. Because he bought a Power Play ticket, his prize doubled to $100,000 when the 2X multiplier hit. He said he told his wife right away.

“She was definitely in shock,” Goss recalled.

He arrived at lottery headquarters Wednesday to claim his winnings and, after required federal and state tax withholdings, took home $72,011.

“This is kind of a fluke thing,” Goss said. “But it’s always a good time to win $100,000.”

He plans to use his winnings to pay bills and invest.

Wednesday’s Powerball jackpot stands at a $113 million annuity or $49.6 million in cash. The odds of winning a Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292 million.

Powerball is one of six draw games in North Carolina where players have the option of buying their tickets at a retail location or with Online Play through the lottery’s website or the NC Lottery Official Mobile App.