North Carolina man becomes the first $100,000 digital instant winner

Francis Garcia Arita, a resident of Iredell County, recently became the first $100,000 digital instant winner by playing the North Carolina Lottery's online game The Lamp. Francis played $20 to play and beat the odds of 1 in 1,000,000 to win his prize. He traveled to the NC Lottery headquarters in Raleigh to collect his prize of $71,256 after tax withholdings. Francis plans to pay some bills with his winnings and save the rest.

In an interview with the North Carolina Lottery, he said, “It was wild. I still don't believe it. Just unreal.” He recalled telling his wife about the win. “We were jumping around,” Francis laughed. “She was so happy.”

Francis said that he began playing the digital games after seeing a commercial for them on TV. “I already had the app so I thought I would try it. I started winning some so I kept playing.”

This big win happened less than a month after the North Carolina Lottery launched its new digital instant games. These high-tech games present a new way to participate in the lottery and win prizes, big and small. The Tar Heel State's digital instant games can only be played on the NC Lottery's website or mobile app.

How to play The Lamp

In The Lamp game, you can play from 50 cents to $30. The top prize is $150,000. To play, choose how much money you wish to play with and use the + or – buttons to select that amount. Then press the arrow button to play. Fifteen new symbols will appear in the play area. To win, you need to reveal a cluster of the same symbols. There is also a multiplier feature that lets you increase your win by up to 50X. You may also win free bonus rounds.  

NC Lottery Digital Instants

There are currently eleven different digital instant games to play online, including The Lamp. You can play them anywhere in North Carolina at any time. Each game has a variety of price options per play, with some starting as low as 50 cents. You can try each game in demo mode before you play to see how it works. The North Carolina Lottery plans to add new games every two weeks.

Digital instant games on offer

The following digital instant games are on offer:

• The Lamp: Play 50 cents to $20 to win a top prize of $150,000.
• Big Crush Multiplier: Play 50 cents to $30 to win a top prize of $150,000.
• Magic Winnings: Play 50 cents to $30 to win a top prize of $150,000.
• Prize Chickens: Play 50 cents to $20 to win a top prize of $150,000.
• Underwater Treasures: Play 5 cents to $2.00 to win a top prize of $100,000.
• Pirates Quest Christmas Edition: Play $1 to $20 to win a top prize of $100,000.
• Fortunes of Cleopatra: Play 50 cents to $30 to win a top prize of $150,000.
• V.I.P. Platinum: Play 10 cents to $2 to win a top prize of $60,000.
• Queen of diamonds: Play 5 cents to $2 to win a top prize of $60,000.
• Road Trip: Play 10 cents to $2 to win a top prize of $100,000.
• Robo Cash: Play 50 cents to $10 to win a top prize of $100,000.
• Frost & Flame: Play 5 cents to $1 to win a top prize of $30,000.

Enjoy playing North Carolina digital instant games, and remember to play responsibly!