Clemson football loss led fan to win $150,000 in North Carolina lottery

His favorite team lost the game, but he ended up winning big.

Jacob Strickland was sullen watching the Clemson Tigers lose to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on November 5 and decided to try his hand at Powerball – winning a whopping $150,000 prize, according to the North Carolina Lottery.

“We were watching football with friends and Clemson was being beaten terribly by Notre Dame,” Strickland said.

“We were joking we should buy lottery tickets because our luck couldn’t be worse.”

Strickland, a 29-year-old welder from Asheboro, North Carolina, purchased a $3 “Quick Pick” ticket using Online Play on his phone just before the raffle.

“It was really a last minute thing right before the draw,” he told the North Carolina Lottery.

His impulsive decision paid off. Strickland won $50,000 which was multiplied to $150,000 with a “3X Power Play Multiplier”.

“It was just a day of disbelief because I had never won anything before,” he said.

After the big score, Strickland immediately called his mom and sent a screenshot of his win to friends who were rooting with him for a Clemson win.

“They all thought I was lying,” he said.

Strickland claimed his winnings on Tuesday and, after required federal and state tax withholdings, took home $106,516. He said he planned to invest some of the dough and put the rest into savings.

Powerball is one of four lottery games in North Carolina where players have the option of purchasing tickets at a retail outlet or with online play through the lottery’s website, or with the mobile app official NC lottery.

Other games that offer these options are Mega Millions, Lucky For Life, and Carolina Cash 5, according to the North Carolina Lottery.