Winner says prize was absolutely "needed"

By Kate Northrop

ZEBULON, N.C. — A North Carolina man won $2 million in a Powerball drawing this week by using numbers that resembled family birthdays.

Robert Crumel of Middlesex says that a $2 million Powerball prize was much needed, and it's thanks to numbers resembling important birthdays that he and his family will get some financial relief.

On Sat., Sept. 30, Crumel entered a lottery drawing that would change his luck for the better. He stopped at the Murphy Express on East Gannon Avenue in Zebulon and picked up a Powerball ticket with the Power Play option for a total of $3.

The drawing produced the winning numbers 19, 30, 37, 44, and 46, with Powerball 22, and Crumel had matched all five white ball numbers to emerge from the drawing with a $1 million second-tier prize. Only one other player in the country won a $1 million prize that night, a ticket bought in Indiana.

Since Crumel purchased his ticket with the Power Play feature, he doubled his prize to $2 million when the drawn multiplier was 2.

As soon as he found out about his incredible luck, he reached out to his entire family to share the news.

"I called my whole family, all my kids," he told the North Carolina Lottery. "I won on numbers I picked from birthdays of all my kids and grandkids."

Crumel is no casual player — his story is one that resonates with many lottery enthusiasts who love to routinely play the game.

"I've been playing Powerball ever since it came out," he said. "I kept on playing, never gave up, and my day finally came."

The winner visited Lottery headquarters on Raliegh on Monday to claim the prize, taking home a grand total of $1,425,012 after federal and state taxes. With the winnings, he'll be able to help his family.

"I needed it, and my family needed it too," Crumel related.

The Powerball jackpot currently stands at $1.4 billion for the next drawing on Sat., Oct. 7 at 10:59 pm Eastern Time. It ranks as the 3rd-largest Powerball jackpot ever, and the 5th-largest lottery jackpot of all time in the United States. That position may rise before the drawing, as lotteries are typically conservative in their initial estimates, and brisk sales may push the jackpot estimate higher by draw time.

Powerball is played in 45 states, plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.  Drawings are Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays at 10:59 p.m. Eastern Time.  Tickets cost $2 each.

Powerball lottery results are published within minutes of the drawing at USA Mega (www.usamega.com).  The USA Mega Web site provides lottery players in-depth information about the United States's two biggest multi-state lottery games, Mega Millions and Powerball.