‘Strong’ gut feeling to play lottery pays off for NC man. ‘Just won a million dollars’
A North Carolina man says he was just following his hunch when he stopped to buy a scratch-off ticket from an Alamance County convenience store. The feeling paid off, netting him a $1 million win, according to the N.C. Education Lottery.
“It was a strong feeling in my gut that told me to get that ticket,” Anthony Pinnix, 46, told state lottery officials of the $25 Spectacular Riches ticket he bought from the Rite Stop Market on North Graham Hopedale Road in Burlington.
Pinnix, who works as a heating and air conditioning technician, was at his boss’s house when he scratched off the ticket and realized he had won, according to a news release.
“I told him, ‘Oh my God you’re not going to believe this,’” he recalled. “I just won a million dollars.”
After sharing the good news with his boss, Pinnix immediately called his wife, according to lottery officials. He said she couldn’t believe it until he brought the winning ticket home and showed her.
He collected his prize at N.C. lottery headquarters on Monday, July 4, and opted for the $600,000 lump sum, the news release said. Pinnix ultimately took home $426,067 after taxes.
He said he plans to buy his wife a new SUV and invest the rest of his winnings.
Burlington is about 60 miles northwest of Raleigh.
This story was originally published July 7, 2022 at 10:51 AM with the headline "‘Strong’ gut feeling to play lottery pays off for NC man. ‘Just won a million dollars’."