‘It feels so surreal.’ Charlotte dad wins big Powerball prize days before Christmas
A Charlotte man promised his family a magnificent Christmas this year — and with good reason.
Alfie Farlow won $2 million in Monday’s Powerball drawing, according to North Carolina Lottery news release. The prize was the largest in the drawing, officials said.
“I told them, ‘I think our life is about to change,’” Farlow said about his family, according to the release.
Farlow bought three Quick Pick Power Play tickets from the Sam’s Mart on Providence Road, near Fairview Road, in Charlotte on Monday. One of the $3 tickets matched the numbers on all five white balls — 2-13-23-34-66 — to win $1 million, lottery officials said Tuesday. The prize doubled to $2 million because of the added Power Play feature.
The odds of matching numbers on all five white balls are 1 in 11.6 million.
Farlow, a 54-year-old machinist, said he went to work Tuesday without even thinking about his Powerball tickets. After work, Farlow looked up the winning Powerball numbers on a friend’s phone, he said.
“I saw they were a match, and I didn’t believe it,” said Farlow. “It feels so surreal. You’re almost too scared to really believe it.”
The first place some of his winnings will go to is his two young daughters’ college fund, Farlow said.
“My girls are not going to have to worry about their college tuition anymore; that’s what means the most to me,” Farlow said. “That is a beautiful feeling.”
Farlow also said he wants to buy a new home and possibly start his own trucking business.
He left lottery headquarters in Raleigh on Wednesday with his prize of $1.415 million after taxes.
The current Powerball jackpot for Wednesday’s drawing stood at an estimated $378 million, or $275.9 million in cash. The odds of winning a jackpot are 1 in 292 million.
The jackpot for Mega Millions drawing on Friday stands at $187 million, or $134.3 million in cash. The odds of winning a Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 302 million.
