Powerball player thought her group won $500. But the NC prize was much bigger
A Powerball player thought her group won $500 — but the prize was much bigger.
“She put the whole team on a group call, and they realized they won $100,000 together,” the North Carolina Education Lottery wrote Sept. 3 in a news release.
The six co-workers will split the prize after Dwane Heyward stopped at a Charlotte store. While at a Walmart, she spent $3 to play Powerball on the group’s behalf.
It turns out, the lucky ticket matched all but one number picked in the Aug. 23 drawing. Since the group spent an extra dollar on the ticket, the $50,000 prize doubled to $100,000.
“We didn’t believe it until it happened,” Heyward told lottery officials.
Heyward tried her luck with colleagues who live in North Carolina and South Carolina. Members of the group — nicknamed “The Money Team” — also included Keshia Gary, Thomasine Hairston, Genesis McLaurin, Kaprise McLean and Saad Pressley.
“We really won the lottery,” the co-workers said as they claimed the prize, which totaled $71,751 after taxes.
Though the players had a lot to celebrate, their ticket just missed a $700 million jackpot prize. For the next Powerball drawing on Sept. 6, the jackpot stands at an estimated $1.7 billion, according to the game’s website.
What to know about Powerball
To score the jackpot in the Powerball, a player must match all five white balls and the red Powerball.
The odds of scoring the jackpot prize are 1 in 292,201,338.
Tickets can be bought on the day of the drawing, but sales times and price vary by state.
Drawings are broadcast Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays at 10:59 p.m. ET and can be streamed online.
Powerball is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
This story was originally published September 4, 2025 at 11:45 AM with the headline "Powerball player thought her group won $500. But the NC prize was much bigger."
