What Robert Goss of Chapel Hill first figured might be a single-digit win turned out to be a six-figure surprise, after a Powerball ticket he bought online was pushed to $100,000 by a 2X Power Play multiplier. The ticket matched four white balls plus the red Powerball in the May 13 drawing, turning what would have been a $50,000 payout into a six-figure prize. After federal and state tax withholdings, Goss ended up with $72,011.
According to a release from the NC Education Lottery, Goss bought a $3 Powerball ticket using the lottery’s Online Play system for the May 13 drawing. His ticket hit four white balls plus the Powerball, and because he had added the $1 Power Play option, the 2X multiplier drawn that night doubled his $50,000 prize to $100,000.
“I thought maybe it was $8 or $16,” Goss said, laughing about his initial guess at the win. He added that his wife “was definitely in shock,” and he called the windfall “kind of a fluke” that arrived at exactly the right moment, the NC Education Lottery noted.
Goss made the trip to lottery headquarters in Raleigh to claim the prize, and after the required federal and state withholdings, he and his wife left with $72,011 in hand, according to CBS17. He told reporters he plans to put the money toward bills and investments, describing the payout as an unexpected financial boost.
How the Power Play Doubled His Prize
Power Play is an optional $1 add-on that multiplies non-jackpot Powerball prizes. In Goss’s case, hitting Match 4 plus the Powerball would normally be worth $50,000, but a 2X Power Play result doubles that to $100,000. The official Powerball site explains that Power Play multipliers are drawn separately and can be 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X or 10X, with the 10X multiplier only available when the advertised jackpot is $150 million or less.
“This is kind of a fluke thing,” Goss said, adding that he is grateful for the added cushion. For North Carolina players, his experience is a reminder that even mid-tier Powerball wins can quietly turn into life-adjusting money once the right multiplier hits.
