A lucky punter has told how she won an amazing USD 150,000 (GBP 123,500) after buying her first-ever lottery ticket.

Rebecca Powell, 48 – from Weaverville, North Carolina state, USA – tried her luck on impulse and bought a USD 3 (GBP 2.47) Power Play ticket on Saturday, 7th January.

She was astonished when she got home and checked her number a few hours later and found she had won a fortune.

A statement obtained by Newsflash from the North Carolina Education Lottery quotes Rebecca as saying: “I thought I’d just give it a try.

“The lady at the store told me, ‘You truly have beginner’s luck’.”

Claiming she still has a hard time processing the big win, she added: “It’s like a dream. Except I haven’t been able to sleep.

“When they did the Powerball drawing, I was looking at the numbers and then I screamed at my husband. I said, ‘Oh my God we won.'”

The ticket matched numbers on four white balls and the red Powerball to win USD 50,000 (GBP 41,100) but the prize tripled after the 3X Power Play multiplier hit.

Another lucky player named Ronda Isaac from the city of Lincolnton, North Carolina, also won the same prize that day.

The 48-year-old woman said: “I never would ever think I would win something like this. I’m going to make this count.”

Powell collected her prize at the North Carolina Education Lottery headquarters in the city of Raleigh and headed home with USD 106,876 (GBP 87,890) following federal and state taxes.

She revealed she would use the money to treat herself with a new car and invest the rest of the amount in a new home.

The North Carolina Education Lottery said: “Wednesday’s Powerball drawing offers a USD 360 million [GBP 296 million] jackpot, or USD 188.7 million [GBP 155 million] in cash.

“The odds of winning a Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292 million.”