National

Construction worker wins second huge North Carolina lottery prize. ‘I did it again’

Pharris Frank will use his prize to take his wife on a vacation.
Pharris Frank will use his prize to take his wife on a vacation. North Carolina Education Lottery

Pharris Frank was recently chatting with a friend who asked him how it felt to win $1 million. Frank had won a $1 million North Carolina lottery prize in July 2021.

“I told him that I was going to double it,” Frank, 41, told North Carolina Lottery officials, according to a March 28 news release.

The next day, Frank, who lives in Davie County and works in construction, was out of town for work when he bought a $20 Diamond Dazzler scratch-off ticket from Handy House in Morehead City, officials said.

When Frank scratched that ticket, he wasn’t sure if what he saw was real, he told officials. He had won $2 million — doubling his first prize.

“I didn’t know if I was dreaming or not,” he said. “I was just in shock for a while.”

After seeing his prize, Frank called his wife and told her, “I did it again,” he told officials.

“It’s cool because the first time I won it was two miles from my house and this time I was four and a half hours away,” Frank said. “What are the chances of me being down there at that exact moment in time?”

Choosing to take the lump sum payment, Frank took home $855,006 after taxes, according to officials. He used his first prize to pay for his wedding, and now he plans to take his wife on a trip.

Davie County is about 60 miles north of Charlotte and about 280 miles west of Morehead City.

Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.

If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.

Read Next
Read Next
Read Next

This story was originally published March 28, 2023 at 2:28 PM with the headline "Construction worker wins second huge North Carolina lottery prize. ‘I did it again’."

Moira Ritter
mcclatchy-newsroom
Moira Ritter covers real-time news for McClatchy. She is a graduate of Georgetown University where she studied government, journalism and German. Previously, she reported for CNN Business.
Get one year of unlimited digital access for $159.99
#ReadLocal

Only 44¢ per day

SUBSCRIBE NOW