Lottery player scores $2M prize after running into friend with life-changing suggestion
A North Carolina man has his friend to thank for a big lottery win.
James Gibbs Jr. was buying coffee at a store in Greensboro when he ran into his friend, who suggested the two buy scratch-off lottery tickets, according to a Tuesday news release from the North Carolina Education Lottery.
They ended up winning a prize, but the store didn’t have enough cash to pay it out, the release says.
“So, my friend was like, ‘We can go across the street,’” Gibbs told lottery officials.
The two walked to a convenience store nearby to cash in their winnings and decided to buy a few $20 “100X The Cash” scratch-off tickets.
The second ticket Gibbs scratched was worth $2 million.
“The first one had $20 on it,” he told lottery officials. “And the second one had the big prize on it.”
Gibbs chose the lump sum of $1.2 million over the annuity of 20 payments of $100,000 a year and took home $849,006 after taxes, according to the lottery.
After his win, three top $2 million prizes and four $100,000 prizes remain in the game.
Gibbs told lottery officials he’ll give some of his winnings to his church and use some to remodel his house but plans to “just keep on working.”
“I’m still just me,” he told lottery officials. “Enjoy life and do what you can as far as helping other people.”
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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 March 9, 2021 at 12:21 PM with the headline "Lottery player scores $2M prize after running into friend with life-changing suggestion."
