NC Man Wins $550k After Accidentally Buying Two Lottery Tickets
A North Carolina man is $551,850 richer after winning a Lucky for Life drawing last month. Scotty Thomas, age 49 of Fayetteville, managed to win the game’s second-largest prize twice after accidentally purchasing two of the same ticket.
Thomas was unsure if he had bought a ticket for the lottery drawing, so he filled out a form online while watching a basketball game on television. Come to find out; he had filled it out twice, so he ended up winning two times via the November 27 drawing. Thomas purchased the two lottery tickets online, both for only $2 each.
Double the Prize Money For the Lucky Winner
For those unfamiliar with the Lucky for Life lottery, it is offered in 22 states within the US, including North Carolina. The game is popular among lottery players because it offers two annuitized top prizes at fixed levels, its so-called ‘lifetime’ prizes.
Thomas won the $25,000 a year for life, not once, but twice due to purchasing two tickets with the same numbers. This is the second-largest prize in Lucky For Life, with the top prize being $1,000 a day for life.
The dump-truck operator then had to choose how to take his prize money. The lottery advertises its top two prizes as lifetime annuities, but winners can also opt for a lump-sum payment. Thomas’ options were to take the $50,000 a year for life prize, which is $25,000 per ticket won. He could also choose to take one as an annuity, earning $25,000 a year, and accept a lump sum of $390,000 for the other ticket.
The last option was to take the lump sum for both tickets, which equals a total of $780,000. Thomas decided to go with the lump sum, and he received $551,851 in cash after taxes. He plans to use the money to invest in his business and pay off his bills. He will also spend some prize money to help family members and possibly buy a home.
Idaho Woman Wins Back to Back Lottery Prizes in Two Days
The odds of winning more than one lottery prize are long, but it does happen. In November, Thomas won his two tickets, and a lucky lady from Idaho won back-to-back prizes in January 2021. Orlene Peterson first won $200,000 after purchasing Idaho lottery tickets and scored another $300,000 prize the next day.
Idaho Lottery officials revealed that the odds of Orlene winning twice were around 1 in 282.5 million. She purchased the first winning ticket in Hayden, deciding to go for a Grand Fortune ticket last minute. The decision paid off as it netted her the $200k prize.
The next day, she went to a different store and decided to buy tickets again. This time she won the big prize from Comin’ in Hot. She couldn’t believe her luck and never imagined she would win two huge prizes in such a short time frame. Orlene plans to use her newfound wealth to pay off bills and purchase a new vehicle.
