Stanly County Long Shot, 50-Cent Lottery Bet Explodes Into $1.07 Million

Stanly County resident Angela Collins turned what most people lose in a couch cushion into a life-changing score last Thursday, hitting the Power Jackpot in the NC Education Lottery’s PowerMax Cash digital instant game off a 50-cent wager. The top prize landed at $1,073,621, and after required withholdings and taxes, Collins took home $773,115.

According to WBTV, Collins triggered the PowerMax Cash Power Jackpot and locked in the $1,073,621 haul when she claimed the prize last Thursday. Lottery officials told the station they estimate the odds of pulling off that kind of hit at about 1 in 300 million, which puts her win firmly in lightning-strike territory.

How PowerMax Cash paid a 50-cent play

The NC Education Lottery says PowerMax Cash lets players pick wagers ranging from 50 cents up to $50 and comes with two progressive jackpots that climb as more tickets sell. A nightly “Power Boost” feature can merge those jackpots into one larger prize, which helps explain how a half-dollar play can snowball into a seven-figure payout. In its game description, the NC Education Lottery outlines those mechanics and notes that its digital-instant and Fast Play games have produced several sizable wins this year. Earlier in the year, the NC Education Lottery reported a record $1.57 million Fast Play jackpot in Cary.

Odds, taxes and the takeaway

Lottery officials pegged the odds of hitting the Power Jackpot at about 1 in 300 million, making Collins’s win the kind of statistical fluke most players only daydream about, WBTV reported. After taxes and other withholdings, her final payout came to $773,115, according to the station.

The score adds to a growing list of headline-making prizes tied to North Carolina’s digital-instant lineup and serves as a reminder that progressive jackpots can turn small wagers into oversized returns. Lottery officials, meanwhile, keep stressing the same message: enjoy the games, play responsibly, and use official lottery channels if you think you are holding or have played a winner.