North Carolina man's Father's Day lottery tradition leads to $250,000 prize

A man's Father's Day lottery tradition finally paid off this year , netting him a prize of $250,000.

William Bon Viso, of Wilmington, North Carolina , said his aunt usually gifts him a scratch-off lottery card for the holiday, but this year, she gifted him $20 in cash. So, to carry out his tradition, he used the $20 to buy his own card.

It ended up earning him $250,000. "I kept the tradition and bought them myself," the father told the North Carolina Education Lottery . "A $20 Father's Day gift became a blessing."

READ MORE: Tennessee father and son declare 'we ain’t ever eating bologna again’ after huge lottery win

READ MORE: Woman befriended $30 million Florida lottery winner before killing him and stealing his money

He told the lottery he double-checked his ticket and began shaking because he couldn't believe how much he'd won. He said he felt like he was "in another world," that he was "on a cloud."

"The screen said, 'Winner, claim at headquarters,'" Bon Viso told the lottery. "I was like, 'Holy cow! This is a big one!'" He said he promptly told some buddies of his that he had won as well as a few family members, and many didn't believe him at first.

The lucky ticket was a 20X The Cash card, which he reportedly purchased from a Walmart on Sigmon Road in Wilmington, a moderately sized port city in the southeast of the state that boasts beaches and is just up the coast from Myrtle Beach in South Carolina.

Click here to follow the Mirror US on Google News to stay up to date with all the latest news, sports and entertainment stories.

"Life is just all about timing," Bon Viso told the lottery. "It just shows you have to always follow your gut." He reportedly claimed his prize at lottery headquarters on Friday, opting to take a lump sum. After the required state and federal tax withholdings, he was handed $178,751, the lottery revealed.

He called the win a "dream come true" and said he plans to invest his winnings and then possibly take a trip. He didn't specify where he'd go — he was still in disbelief when he picked up his winnings from the lottery headquarters.

He added that he'll "just enjoy life a little" since he won't "have to stress for a little while" amid his earnings. When he called his aunt to tell her about the prize, he said she cheekily asked him for the $20 back. He recounted the big win in a video on the lottery's website.

According to the organization, the 20X The Cash game debuted in February, with 10 top prizes of $250,000 offered. Three of them have yet to be claimed, the lottery said.