$1 lottery ticket turns into big prize for NC grandpa. ‘I triple checked the numbers’
A North Carolina grandfather spent $1 on a lottery ticket — and scored a prize worth much more.
“I couldn’t believe it at first,” William Harrison told the N.C. Education Lottery. “I think I triple checked the numbers before I said anything.”
Harrison’s six-figure prize was the real deal, and now he plans to share some of the money with his family, lottery officials wrote in a June 6 news release.
Harrison won big after a trip to a Cubbard Express convenience store in Hickory, roughly 50 miles northwest of Charlotte. That’s where he tried his luck on a $1 ticket for the Cash 5 game, officials said.
The next day, he checked his ticket and discovered it was worth $140,430. It turns out, the ticket beat 1-in-962,598 to win the jackpot prize.
Harrison said he told his daughter and granddaughter about his major windfall before tucking the winning ticket into his wallet for a couple of days.
“I wanted to make sure I had it for safekeeping,” Harrison, who eventually claimed his prize June 5, told lottery officials.
Harrison, a grandfather of six from the popular mountain town of Asheville, kept $100,057 after taxes. In addition to using his prize money to help his family, he said he will pay bills.
It’s not the first time a lottery ticket has left a winner in disbelief. In South Carolina, a player asked relatives for second and third opinions about her recent scratch-off prize, McClatchy News reported.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREWhen gambling is more than a game
Gambling is designed to be a source of entertainment.
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.
This story was originally published June 6, 2023 at 9:59 AM with the headline "$1 lottery ticket turns into big prize for NC grandpa. ‘I triple checked the numbers’."
