Lottery player hits NC jackpot — by accident. ‘Thought I was playing in demo mode’
A North Carolina lottery player scored an “epic jackpot” prize — by mistake.
“I thought I was playing in demo mode,” Alphonzo Oates of Raleigh told the N.C. Education Lottery. “It surprised the heck out of me.”
Oates was shocked to learn his $177,749 win was the real deal. He got richer after trying his luck on a $1 ticket for the Wheel of Bonuses game, lottery officials wrote in a Dec. 6 news release.
While playing the progressive jackpot game online, Oates accidentally scored his prize Oct. 31. Now, he has big plans for his daughter.
“I can use this to pay off my daughter’s last year of college,” Oates told lottery officials. “That will be her Christmas gift.”
Oates, who enjoys playing Wheel of Bonuses to pass time, beat 1-in-31 million odds to score the game’s top prize. He kept $127,092 after taxes.
“I’m glad that my daughter will be able to graduate debt-free,” Oates said. “It’s a happy moment.”
It’s not the first time a lottery winner has planned to help his daughter in a major way. Another North Carolina dad hoped to give his daughter money to buy a new home, McClatchy News reported in 2023.
This story was originally published December 9, 2024 at 9:23 AM with the headline "Lottery player hits NC jackpot — by accident. ‘Thought I was playing in demo mode’."
