He thought his lottery ticket was worth $1 — but NC winner was in for a big surprise
A North Carolina man thought his lottery ticket was worth $1 — but had a bigger surprise in store.
Phillip Williams pocketed much more cash after discovering his ticket beat the odds to score $757,128, according to the N.C. Education Lottery.
“I couldn’t believe it when I saw how much I won,” Williams said April 11 in a news release.
Officials said Williams hit the jackpot after a trip to a Speedway gas station in Carthage, a town in Moore County and roughly 60 miles southwest of Raleigh. That’s where he spent $1 on a ticket for the Cash 5 game.
“I’ve been replaying my family’s birthdates for my numbers,” Williams told the N.C. Education Lottery. “And the final number is my age.”
Those personal numbers proved lucky in the April 6 drawing, when his ticket beat 1-in-962,598 to win big. But when Williams first checked his ticket at a store, officials said he didn’t realize how much richer he’d gotten.
“I thought I won a dollar,” Williams said jokingly, according to officials. “I didn’t realize I won the jackpot until I saw the numbers online.”
Williams, a 43-year-old Southern Pines resident, kept $537,638 after taxes. He said he hopes to buy a home after getting the big windfall.
“This is going to help me get my feet back on the ground,” Williams said in the news release.
It’s not the first time a North Carolina lottery winner thought he won a smaller amount of money at first.
Last year, one player figured he scored $1,000 until a closer look at his ticket revealed his prize was worth much more. More recently, another man made the same mistake before realizing he scored $1 million, 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 April 11, 2022 at 3:10 PM with the headline "He thought his lottery ticket was worth $1 — but NC winner was in for a big surprise."
