He thought he won $1,000 — then ‘kept seeing zeroes’ on his NC lottery ticket
A North Carolina man with a “lucky feeling” spent $10 on a lottery ticket that was worth much more.
“I thought it was $1,000 at first,” Paul Bray Jr. told the N.C. Education Lottery. “But I just kept seeing zeroes.”
He eventually realized he scored $1 million, the top prize in the Big Cash Payout game.
“I’m just a country boy and I’ve never won anything like this,” Bray said in a Feb. 15 news release. “I almost had a heart attack.”
Bray received the big surprise after he stopped at the S & L Country Market in Reidsville, roughly 25 miles north of Greensboro. Though officials said Bray rarely plays the lottery, his “lucky feeling” paid off big time.
Bray — a 57-year-old Rockingham County resident — decided to take his prize in a lump sum. He kept $426,063 after taxes and plans to put the prize money toward a new house, according to the N.C. Education Lottery.
It’s not the first time a North Carolina lottery player has been mistaken about how much he or she won.
In December, officials said a woman thought her ticket was worth $200 before finding out she scored much more cash.
And in 2020, another player was convinced he won a smaller amount but wasn’t done scratching his ticket, 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 February 15, 2022 at 10:38 AM with the headline "He thought he won $1,000 — then ‘kept seeing zeroes’ on his NC lottery ticket."
