Nov. 16 (UPI) — A North Carolina man said a loss for his favorite football team led to a personal win when he scored a $150,000 Powerball prize.
Jacob Strickland, 29, of Asheboro, told North Carolina Education Lottery officials a loss for the Clemson University Tigers turned into his own personal victory.
“We were watching football with some friends and Clemson was getting beat terribly by Notre Dame,” Strickland said. “We were joking we should get lottery tickets because our luck couldn’t get any worse.”
Strickland said the loss inspired him to buy a ticket for the Nov. 5 Powerball drawing using the lottery’s smartphone app.
“It really was a last-minute thing right before the drawing,” he said.
The drawing ended up earning Strickland a $150,000 prize.
“It was just a day of disbelief because I’ve never won anything before,” Strickland said.
Strickland said he sent a screenshot of his win to the friends who had been with him when he watched the game.
“They all thought I was lying,” he laughed.
Strickland said his winnings will go toward investments and savings.
