‘I’m glad it was you:’ NC store clerk celebrates lottery player’s $100K prize
Timothy Unsell won $400 with a scratch-off ticket, so he decided to splurge and test his luck with a more expensive ticket.
Unsell’s luck proved strong: He won $100,000 with his second ticket.
“I don’t usually buy the $30 tickets but after winning $400 I thought, “Why not?’” Unsell told lottery officials. “This is the biggest win I’ve ever had.”
The 79-year-old from Flat Rock, North Carolina, said he was so excited when he won that he ran back inside the store to hug the store clerk.
“She told me, ‘I’m glad it was you who won,’” Unsell said. “She knows me very well.”
On Thursday, Unsell collected his winnings, taking home $71,019 after taxes. He says the money will go toward his retirement, according to lottery officials.
Unsell purchased his winning $30 Fabulous Fortune ticket at the Time Saver on West Blue Ridge Road in East Flat Rock, which is about 25 miles south of Asheville.
Fabulous Fortune debuted in July 2022 with six $3 million prizes and 18 $100,000 prizes. So far, two of the top prizes and four of the $100,000 prizes have been claimed.
