Raleigh woman wins $200K in Powerball drawing: 'Holy cow'

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- A Raleigh woman never thought she'd win a big lottery prize, until she did.

"You never think the pie-in-the-sky dreams will actually come true," Ann Gasperini said.

She bought a $3 Powerball ticket for Wednesday's drawing and took home a $200,000 prize.

Gasperini said she plans to share her winnings with her daughter.

"She is a teacher, and she is finishing her master's, and now she doesn't have to worry about student loans," Gasperini said.

She bought her lucky ticket online. She matched the numbers on four white balls and the red Powerball to win $50,000. Because she bought a Power Play ticket, her prize quadrupled to $200,000 when the 4X multiplier hit.

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"I was like, 'Holy cow,'" Gasperini said with a laugh. "It was so out of the blue."

She went to lottery headquarters in Raleigh on Friday to claim her prize, and, after required federal and state tax withholdings, took home $143,501.

In addition to helping her daughter, Gasperini said she plans to share some winnings with her other children and help pay for her house.

Monday's Powerball jackpot stands at a $1.6 billion annuity or $735.3 million in cash. The odds of winning a Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292 million.

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