Man riding a lucky streak buys NC lottery ticket. Then came a life-changing prize

A man experiencing a monthlong series of positive outcomes decided to put his lucky streak to the test with a lottery ticket, and it paid off.

Juan Garcia won a $200,000 jackpot, which is the top prize in the Triple Red 777’s game, according to the North Carolina Education Lottery.

He beat odds of 1 in 1,229,976, and Garcia is the only person so far to win a top prize in the game, which launched July 2, officials said. He lives in Stokesdale, about a 95-mile drive northwest from Raleigh.

“I was scratching it and I’m like, ‘That can’t be right’. It was crazy,” Garcia said in the release.

“I’ve already had a great month with some stuff in my personal life. Now my finances are great too.”

He got the $5 ticket at a Compare Foods store in Winston-Salem and told no one but his dad until he picked up the money on July 19.

The check came to $143,001 after required federal and state taxes, officials said.

“My dad said, ‘You’ve got some serious luck,’” Garcia said.

He intends to pay some bills with the prize, and whatever is left over will be shared with his family, he said.

This story was originally published July 22, 2024 at 1:13 PM with the headline "Man riding a lucky streak buys NC lottery ticket. Then came a life-changing prize."