A North Carolina man discovered $20 on the ground, decided to play the lottery with it, and ended up winning an incredible $1,000,000 prize!
A man from North Carolina recently experienced an incredible stroke of luck when he won $1,000,000 in the lottery using a $20 bill he found on the ground.
This surprising turn of events has drawn attention and excitement from many.
Man wins $1M in lottery after buying ticket with $20 bill found on the ground
The story began on October 22, when Jerry Hicks, who lives in Banner Elk, spotted a $20 bill outside a Speedway convenience store in Boone.
Instead of pocketing the money for a small treat, Jerry decided to spend it right away.
He added $5 of his own money to buy a $25 Extreme Cash scratch-off ticket. This choice would soon change his life forever.
Jerry’s decision to purchase the scratch-off ticket was not without risk.
The odds of winning the top prize of $1 million are quite low, standing at 1 in 2,017,650. However, Jerry ended up being the lucky one.
After scratching off the ticket, he was thrilled to discover that he had won the grand prize.
On Friday, Jerry went to the North Carolina Education Lottery Headquarters to claim his winnings.
He had the option to take the prize as an annuity paid over 20 years or as a lump sum.
He chose the lump-sum payment, which amounted to $600,000 before taxes. After taxes were deducted, Jerry took home $429,007.
With this newfound wealth, Jerry plans to make significant changes in his life.
After 56 years of working as a carpenter, he is looking forward to retiring. He also intends to support his children with some of the money.
However, before diving into those plans, Jerry wants to celebrate this amazing win with his family.
He expressed excitement about taking them to Golden Corral for a big meal.
“We are going to head straight to Golden Corral and eat everything they’ve got,” he told lottery officials.
Another lottery story also captured the attention of the public
A woman from Sacramento, California, has struck it rich by winning $1 million on a scratch-off lottery ticket.
Surprisingly, she didn’t even scratch it!
Instead of scratching the ticket to see if she had won, Cornelia chose to scan the barcode at a lottery machine.
This method is quicker and easier for her. She admitted that she often buys tickets based on their appearance and rarely scratches them open.
“I like the way they look,” she explained.
When she first scanned the ticket, Cormedia could not believe her luck. She scanned it multiple times to confirm her win.
The excitement didn’t fully hit her until she returned to the store the next day to check again. That’s when she realized she had won the grand prize.
The store where Cornelia bought the ticket will also benefit from her good fortune.
Lottery retailers receive a bonus for selling winning tickets.
This store will receive a significant amount for selling a $1 million ticket, which is their largest win ever.
Despite her newfound wealth, Cornelia plans to handle her finances wisely.
She wants to pay off her debts first, which she hopes will relieve some of her financial stress.
After that, she intends to save some of her winnings for the future and consider making some smart investments.
In addition to managing her money, Cornelia is excited about treating herself to some fun.
She has always dreamed of taking a vacation and now has the means to do so.