NC lottery winner hits big — again. ‘I thought it was $100, but it was a lot more’
A North Carolina lottery winner tried his luck with another scratch-off ticket, and it paid off big time.
Israel Carbajal hit the jackpot for the second time in less than three years, the N.C. Education Lottery said Thursday.
“When I scratched it, I saw the number and I thought it was $100, but it was a lot more,” Carbajal said, according to the lottery’s news release.
It turns out, he missed a few zeroes.
His ticket for the Extreme Cash game was actually worth $100,000, lottery officials said.
It’s not quite as much money as Carbajal won in July 2017, when he bagged a $200,000 prize, according to the lottery.
This time around, Carbajal’s luck started when he went to get water at Yaya Mini Mart. The convenience store is in Currie, a town in Pender County and roughly 25 miles northwest of Wilmington.
After buying a scratch-off ticket from the store, Carbajal got to take home $70,757, according to the lottery.
He plans to put the money toward a new car and his dad’s medical costs, officials say.
It isn’t the first time someone has gotten another chance at a lottery win.
Earlier this year, an Orange County man won a prize for a second time, The News & Observer reported.
Claim offices close
The N.C. Education Lottery announced its claim centers would shut their doors temporarily as coronavirus spreads. The closures go into effect Monday and will last until at least March 31.
Lottery players who win up to $599 can cash in at retail stores, officials said in their news release.
Other winners are encouraged to keep their tickets secure until the offices reopen. They can also mail their tickets, but officials say there may be a lag in processing.
“Winners will have 30 days after the state lifts its order banning large gatherings of people to claim prizes on those tickets if they expire before then,” the release said. “Winners of prizes of $100,000 or more must still claim the prize in person.”
This story was originally published March 21, 2020 at 5:46 PM with the headline "NC lottery winner hits big — again. ‘I thought it was $100, but it was a lot more’."
