Chef scores $1 million North Carolina lottery prize. ‘Thought I was hallucinating’
A North Carolina chef changed his routine — and it led to a big lottery win.
Yamir Bryant was stopping at a different store than usual when he bought a scratch-off ticket worth $1 million, according to the N.C. Education Lottery.
“I thought I was hallucinating,” Bryant told lottery officials.
Bryant scored the extra cash after he switched up his regular routine on Thursday, June 9. Instead of visiting his go-to store, he went to a Citi Stop in Asheville, where he spent $30 on a ticket for the Millionaire Maker game.
“I always say I’m going to win a million dollars,” Bryant said in a news release. “I like to get a $30 ticket once in a blue moon.”
It turns out, his prediction of winning big came true. He was with his wife when they discovered the windfall.
“I ran around the house screaming like a little girl,” Bryant told the N.C. Education Lottery as he laughed.
Bryant, a dad living in the Buncombe County community of Arden, decided to take his prize in a lump sum of $600,000. He kept $426,069 after taxes, according to the lottery.
Now, Bryant “plans to pay off his wife’s car, move, and prepare for his sons’ athletic expenses for next school year,” officials said in the release.
It’s not the first time someone in the Carolinas has had trouble containing themselves after a big lottery win.
In April, officials said a South Carolina tourist started yelling after she hit the jackpot on a spring break trip.
Another South Carolina player was left “running through the house screaming” after her lucky win, 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.
