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‘There’s No Way This Can Be Real:’ Co-Workers Share $2 Million Powerball Prize

An office tradition turned lucky for a group of co-workers in Morrisville, after they won $2 million in Wednesday’s record-breaking Powerball drawing.

  • Suzanne Burgess, Raleigh
  • Oliver Crichton Jr., Durham
  • Anthony Singson, Morrisville
  • Martha Chavis, Creedmoor
  • Lisa Pacitti, Raleigh
  • Kathleen Roberto, Cary

The six work at a pharmaceutical company in Morrisville. Four of them are nurses and two are drug information specialists.

“I’m happy to win with friends,” Chrichton said about the win.

The six have been playing the Powerball as a group for four years. Every time the jackpot gets over $100 million they pool their money.

“We’ve won smaller prizes, like $5 or $10, but nothing like this” Roberto said.

At first Burgess thought they had only won $1 million, but soon realized their winning ticket was worth $2 million and shared the good news with her colleagues.

Singson was shocked when he found out. “There’s no way this could be real. Next thing I know I’m going to wake up and this whole thing will never have happened.”

To win $2 million they bought $3 Power Play tickets and matched all five white balls.

The group claimed their prize at lottery headquarters in Raleigh Thursday afternoon. After required state and federal tax withholdings the six took home $1,385,000.  As for what they’ll use the money for, the answers ranged from paying bills, college funds for children, and early retirement.

The group bought the winning ticket at the Harris Teeter on Fayetteville Road in Raleigh. Even though they won they still plan to play the next time the Powerball jackpot breaks $100 million.

The unclaimed ticket worth $2 million was sold at the Food Mart Express on Spring Avenue in Spring Lake in Cumberland County.

In all, Wednesday’s drawing resulted in 19 big wins in North Carolina. Two tickets won $2 million, three tickets won $100,000 and 14 others won $50,000. Thousands of smaller prizes were won by Powerball players all across the state.

Powerball sales on Wednesday also helped to set a new single-day record for lottery ticket sales in the state of $27.8 million, including $20.9 million from Powerball alone.