A lucky man in North Carolina is celebrating a huge lottery win after a "shot in the dark" ticket purchase led to him landing the huge jackpot.
John Reece, of Mocksville, recently bought a $2 ticket for the Hot 50s Fast Play game from the Food Lion on Valley Road, a move that led to him scoring an impressive prize, according to a release from the NC Education Lottery. Because he purchased the $2 ticket, he won 20% of the progressive $606,995 jackpot, which came out to $121,399 for Reece.
"I showed my wife the ticket and she said, 'I think you hit the jackpot,'" he said, adding that it took a bit for his win to fully sink in. "It took me a minute and then I was like, 'Oh my God this is happening.'"
Reece claimed his winnings at lottery headquarters on Tuesday (June 11), taking home a grand total of $86,801 after all required state and federal tax withholdings. According to lottery officials, the Davie County man plans to use his prize to pay off his car and maybe even put a down payment on a house.
"It was basically just a shot in the dark," he said. "I guess you could say it was just the right time."