Dad buys lottery game because of nostalgia and wins big in NC. ‘Life-changing money’

Reminiscent of a happy memory with the North Carolina Loteria game, one man decided to purchase a ticket that led him to a huge prize , lottery officials said.

David Boyd Jr. bought a $10 scratch-off ticket Oct. 9 that became a $1 million top prize win, the N.C. Education Lottery said in an Oct. 10 statement.

“I have nostalgia for playing Loteria because the biggest win I had before this was $500 on a Loteria ticket,” Boyd told lottery officials.

He bought the ticket at a Handy Mart on Charles Boulevard in Greenville, officials said.

Lottery officials said they gave Boyd a choice between taking $600,000 home now or receiving $50,000 over 20 years. He chose to take home the lump sum which, after taxes, came to $429,003.

Boyd said he plans to use the money to put a down payment on a house for his family and set some of it aside for his kid’s college.

“This is life-changing money for us,” he said.

Lottery officials said the game was introduced in March with four $1 million top prizes . Two $1 million prizes are yet to be claimed. The odds of winning are 1 in 1,224,945, records show.

Greenville is about an 84-mile drive east from Raleigh.

Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.

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.

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