Daughter treated 81-year-old veteran to lottery ticket for his birthday. It won big
A daughter gave her dad a lottery ticket as a gift — and it was a big winner.
“She bought the ticket for me for my birthday,” Dennis Parks told the North Carolina Education Lottery in an April 2 news release. “It was my 81st birthday.”
Parks, a military veteran, had an extra reason to celebrate after he bought a Merry Multiplier scratch-off ticket. He won $50,000 in the game — but his luck didn’t end there.
While Parks waited to cash in at a lottery claims center in Greensboro, his daughter treated him to a $20 Carolina Keno ticket. In a March 31 drawing, it matched enough numbers to be worth $100,000, McClatchy News reported.
“It was just my day I guess,” Parks told lottery officials.
The lucky winner, who lives in the Moore County town of Carthage, kept $71,751 after taxes. He plans to put his prize money toward bills and a family getaway to Ohio.
“This is going to make things a whole lot easier for us now,” Parks said.
It’s not the first time a lottery win has made someone’s birthday more special. Another North Carolina player got richer days before he turned another year older, McClatchy News reported in May.
This story was originally published April 2, 2025 at 12:05 PM with the headline "Daughter treated 81-year-old veteran to lottery ticket for his birthday. It won big."
