More than a dozen co-workers tried their luck on the lottery — and scored a big win in North Carolina, officials said.
Now, the group of 22 civilian Fort Bragg employees is splitting the $100,000 prize, which was met with some skepticism at first.
“It was a little close to April (Fools’) so some of them didn’t believe me,” Neil Ellis, a spokesperson for the group, told the N.C. Education Lottery. “I guess they believe me now.”
Their win was the real deal, and each of the workers kept $3,225 after taxes. Ellis pocketed a bit more, claiming a prize of $3,310, officials said Monday, April 11 in a news release.
Some people in the group — called the Power Play 22 Team — have played the lottery for more than a decade. While a few are retired, many still work in communications roles at the Fort Bragg U.S. Army base, Ellis said in a video that the N.C. Education Lottery posted to Twitter.
“It’s just a good time,” Ellis said in the news release. “We really enjoy it.”
This time around, the group got a windfall after snagging a ticket at Erwin Lucky Stop, in Harnett County and roughly 40 miles south of Raleigh. While the ticket fell short of hitting a larger Powerball jackpot, officials said it matched enough numbers in the April 2 drawing to win big.
It’s not the first time a team has split a prize in North Carolina.
In July, officials said a pair of relatives played a lottery game together and were in disbelief when they realized their ticket was worth $2 million.
Months earlier, a man shared prize money with a co-worker then won more cash all for himself, McClatchy News reported.
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When gambling is more than a game
Gambling is designed to be a source of entertainment.
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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