Army Vet Checked Powerball Ticket — and Won So Much, He Couldn’t Sleep. ‘So Excited’

A Powerball player checked his ticket -- and won so much, it kept him awake.

"I was so excited, I didn't even know what to do," Donald Smiley told the North Carolina Education Lottery in an Oct. 22 news release. "I definitely couldn't sleep."

Smiley scored the windfall after he bought a Powerball ticket that matched all but one number picked in the Oct. 9 drawing. He spent an extra dollar on the Power Play option, making his $50,000 prize triple to $150,000, McClatchy News reported.

When Smiley discovered he won the six-figure prize, he couldn't believe his luck, according to a post from the North Carolina Education Lottery on Oct. 10 on X (formerly Twitter):

A #NCLottery player in #Whittier tried their luck on a #Powerball ticket from Catamount Travel Center on Hwy 441 N and won a $150,000 prize! The winner matched 4 out of 5 white balls and the Power Ball. Congratulations to the lucky player!  

"I was like, 'Am I reading this right,'" Smiley, an Army veteran from Cherokee, told lottery officials. "I'm still so excited."

Smiley bought his lucky $3 ticket at the Catamount Travel Center in Whittier, a roughly 60-mile drive southwest from Asheville. He kept $107,251 after taxes and hopes to put the extra cash toward bills.

Though Smiley got richer, his ticket was one number from scoring the larger Powerball jackpot prize. That prize stood at an estimated $337 million the night of the drawing, according to the game's website.

To score the jackpot in the Powerball, a player must match all five white balls and the red Powerball.

The odds of scoring the jackpot prize are 1 in 292,201,338.

Tickets can be bought on the day of the drawing, but sales times and price vary by state.

Drawings are broadcast Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays at 10:59 p.m. ET and can be streamed online.

Powerball is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.

If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.

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