Customer orders burger with onion rings and a lottery ticket — and wins big in NC
A man’s craving for a cheeseburger led him to a big jackpot in North Carolina.
Kevin Poole said he was out to lunch on Wednesday when he ordered a burger with onion rings — and a $30 lottery ticket.
It turns out, the ticket he bought was worth much more, scoring him a $1 million prize, the N.C. Education Lottery said.
“I’m over excited now,” Poole told officials in a news release. “I’m building a house, and I’d like to buy more land. I want to build a motocross track out back for my sons to ride on.”
Poole has extra cash after he stopped at Don Lee’s Grocery And Grill in Willow Spring, south of Raleigh.
“The electrician I work with bought me lunch yesterday,” Poole said on Wednesday. “I told him, ‘Since you bought mine yesterday, I’ll buy yours today.’”
While at the grill, officials said Poole satisfied his taste buds and tried his luck on a ticket for the $10,000,000 Colossal Cash game.
“After I finished eating my cheeseburger and onion rings, I scratched it,” Poole told the N.C. Education Lottery.
Poole, who works as an asphalt plant supervisor, decided to take his prize in a lump sum and kept $424,509 after taxes. He is from Franklinville, in Randolph County and roughly 60 miles west of Raleigh, officials said.
He isn’t the first lottery player to win big after stopping for something to eat or drink.
This summer, officials said a North Carolina woman ended up richer after she bought a scratch-off ticket on a trip to get soda.
And last year, a South Carolina man hit the jackpot when he went to a store for a candy bar, McClatchy News reported
BEHIND THE STORY
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 September 3, 2021 at 8:13 AM with the headline "Customer orders burger with onion rings and a lottery ticket — and wins big in NC."
