John Gerenza of Charlotte wanted a cigar so he stopped at a grocery store, decided to play Powerball, too, and walked out with a ticket that would win him $1 million.

Gerenza’s $2 Quick Pick ticket, purchased at the Harris Teeter on South Tryon Street in Charlotte, matched numbers on five white balls in Saturday’s drawing to win $1 million.

He claimed his prize Thursday at lottery headquarters and, after required federal and state tax withholdings, took home $710,101.

“Obviously I was ecstatic,” said Gerenza, 62. “We still don’t believe it actually.”

He said he would like to use some of his winnings to take a family vacation to the beach.

Saturday’s Powerball drawing offers a $119 million jackpot, or $69.2 million in cash. The odds of winning a Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292 million.

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