A Powerball player in North Carolina came close to winning a staggering $1.2 billion jackpot, missing it by just one number. Nonetheless, Daryl Steinhoff still feels lucky after winning $2 million from the September 1 drawing.
Steinhoff, who lives in Clayton, used a “family number” to match all five white balls, which allowed him to double his $1 million prize by paying an extra fee. Unfortunately, he missed the crucial Red Powerball number.
The winning numbers from that night were 8, 23, 25, 40, 53, and the Red Powerball was 5.
Interestingly, Steinhoff didn’t even realize he had won until the next day when he received an email alerting him to his good fortune. “I was excited and a bit skeptical,” he mentioned, recalling how he immediately reached out to his daughter and girlfriend.
He collected his winnings at the state lottery headquarters in Raleigh on Thursday, standing beside a large check for $2 million. After taxes, he walked away with about $1.44 million.
Steinhoff wasn’t the only one celebrating. An anonymous player in Montana purchased matching tickets for the same set of white balls and opted for Power Play, resulting in another $2 million win. Those tickets were bought from a supermarket in Missoula, Montana. The winner claimed their prize on September 5.
A lottery official from Montana reflected on the event, saying, “Even if you think it’s a waste of time, listen to your gut!”
The Powerball jackpot has been climbing to historic heights, recently reaching $1.79 billion after two players from Missouri and Texas won on Saturday night. The jackpot grew through 42 drawings from May 31 to September 6.
Jackpot winners have the option to either take a pension prize of $895 million over 29 years or a one-time lump sum of around $410 million before taxes.
Additionally, players from Kansas and Texas also matched the Power Play to win $2 million, sharing in the excitement that Steinhoff experienced. Meanwhile, 15 other players celebrated million-dollar wins after matching all five white balls.
