News writer
If you get Chinese takeout and don't read the message in your fortune cookie, you just might be missing out on something!
Lucky message in a fortune cookie
A lucky message inside a fortune cookie is exactly what inspired John Carter of Trinity to try his luck at the North Carolina Lottery. He ended up buying a $5 scratch-off and won a $200,000 prize!
Carter told lottery officials:
We had Chinese food last night, and we got a fortune cookie that said, “Don't miss out on your chance to win big.”
Winning big is just what Carter did, as he headed to the Hillsville Country Mart, located on Hillsville Road in Trinity, and bought a Pot of Gold scratch-off.
Carter said:
I was thinking the fortune cookie was a sign. It had to be fate.
"This has got to be a dream"
No doubt about it, the fortune cookie was a sign, and that Pot of Gold would soon be filled with a big wad of cash!
Carter couldn't wait as he scratched the ticket right away in the store. Carter told lottery officials:
I started seeing zero, zero, zero. I thought, 'This has got to be a dream.'
It was no dream, as he truly won $200,000. He recently made his way to lottery headquarters to claim his prize, and after the required state and federal tax withholdings, he took home $143,001.
With the money in hand, Carter said he plans on paying some bills and buying a boat to use for fishing.
The end of the game
The Pot of Gold game debuted in December 2023 with four $200,000 top prizes. Carter's big win in the game happened to be the last remaining top prize to be claimed.
Now that he has claimed that prize, lottery officials said they will begin the process of ending the game.
Other big winners
The North Carolina Lottery announced a couple other big scratch-off winners who recently claimed their prizes. Brenda Broadnax of Reidsville also tried her luck on a $5 scratch-off (no fortune cookie message for her though) and she ended up winning the top prize of $250,000!
Broadnax purchased her winning 20X The Cash ticket from Freeway Mart, located on Freeway Drive in Reidsville. She claimed the prize at lottery headquarters recently, and after the required tax withholdings, she took home $178,751.
The other huge winner was Odessa Chamblee of Ahoskie, who tried her luck on a $20 scratch-off, and she won a $2 million prize!
Chamblee bought her winning 100X The Cash ticket from the Village Store, located on N.C. 41 in Wallace.
She made her way to the lottery headquarters and had a decision to make: choose to receive the prize as an annuity of $100,000 over 20 years or a lump sum of $1.2 million. Chamblee chose the lump sum option and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, she took home $858,006.
Congratulations to all three big winners in North Carolina!
Enjoy playing the North Carolina Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
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