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Man wins $500,000 Powerball prize with fortune cookie numbers

Ernesto Sorzano told North Carolina Education Lottery officials the Powerball ticket that won him a $500,000 prize bore a set of numbers he copied from a fortune cookie. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
Ernesto Sorzano told North Carolina Education Lottery officials the Powerball ticket that won him a $500,000 prize bore a set of numbers he copied from a fortune cookie. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

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Feb. 23 (UPI) -- A man who collected a $500,000 Powerball prize in North Carolina said his lucky lottery numbers came from an unusual source: a fortune cookie.

Ernesto Sorzano of Estero, Fla., told North Carolina Education Lottery officials the Powerball ticket he bought from the 7-Eleven store in Huntersville, N.C., bore a set of numbers that he copied from a fortune cookie that came with his recent Chinese take-out.

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"That was a good investment," Sorzano said of his shrimp and fried rice meal.

The investment ended up earning Sorzano a $500,000 prize in Saturday's Powerball drawing.

Sorzano said he is preparing to relocate to Huntersville permanently and the winnings will allow him to buy a house.

"Unbelievable," Sorzano said of his win. "I'm just super happy that my dreams came true."

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