Man stays up late to check NC lottery ticket — then wakes up his wife with good news
A North Carolina man stayed awake to check his lottery ticket — and was a jackpot winner by the time he woke up his wife.
Babacar Samb, 36, was up late Sunday when the N.C. Education Lottery said a drawing revealed he scored a prize worth $25,000 each year for life.
“It’s like a dream right now,” he told officials on Monday, Nov. 22. “It’s hard to believe.”
It turns out, Samb wasn’t the only one who had trouble thinking the big win was real. His wife was also in disbelief.
“She said, ‘No way,’” the husband told officials in a news release. “I said, ‘Yes. This is real. We did it.’”
The couple celebrated the windfall after Samb went to the Great Stops convenience store in Jamestown. While at the Greensboro-area business, he spent $2 on a ticket for the Lucky for Life game.
That decision paid off big time, and Samb chose to take his prize money in a lump sum of $390,000. He kept $275,925 after taxes, officials said.
Samb, who works as a machine operator, plans to put his winnings toward a home for his baby and wife.
It’s not the first time someone didn’t think a lottery win was real at first.
In South Carolina, officials said a man was at a gas pump when he was shocked to find out he scored a jackpot prize.
And in North Carolina, a prize winner said he wasn’t going to believe he won big until he had the check in his hand, McClatchy News reported in October.
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MOREWhen gambling is more than a game
Gambling is designed to be a source of entertainment.
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.
This story was originally published November 23, 2021 at 2:56 PM with the headline "Man stays up late to check NC lottery ticket — then wakes up his wife with good news."
