By Raul Rodriguez Cota
04 Aug 2024, 18:20 PM EDT
Christopher Baker, an Alabama man on a business trip to North Carolina, bought a Powerball Quick Pick ticket for $2 and won $50,000, but by spending an extra dollar, he multiplied his prize to $100,000.
Baker, originally from Leesburg in northeast Alabama, purchased his winning ticket in July while in Hickory, North Carolina, Powerball reported.
When the winning numbers were announced, Baker had to look twice to realize he had a $100,000 winning ticket.
He had matched four white balls and the red Powerball number, which normally would have given him a prize of $50,000, but because he bought a 2X multiplier for $1 he ended up doubling his winnings, taking them to $100,000.
“I just kept looking at it to make sure I was reading it right,” he said with a laugh, according to Powerball.
“I told my family, but they didn’t believe me either,” he added.
Baker described his victory as a complete surprise and plans to save his new fortune to buy a house.
After deducting federal and state taxes, Baker was left with $71,501.
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