Retiree got NC lottery ticket for his birthday. It gave him another reason to celebrate
A North Carolina man received a lottery ticket for his birthday — and the jackpot prize left him in silence.
Charles Cagle got another reason to celebrate when he confirmed the ticket was worth $100,000, according to the N.C. Education Lottery.
“My wife bought the ticket for my birthday,” Cagle said in a Dec. 29 news release.
Cagle, who just turned 71, scored the big prize after his wife went to Ready Mart in Asheboro, roughly 70 miles west of Raleigh. While at the store on South Fayetteville Street, officials said she spent $20 on a ticket for the Mega 7’s scratch-off game.
Then, when Cagle was at home, he checked the ticket and asked his wife to take a second glance.
“I called her and told her she needed to look at something,” Cagle told lottery officials. “We sat silent for a minute to make sure, then we were really happy.”
Cagle, a Randolph County resident and former golf course superintendent, plans to put his prize money toward bills. The retiree kept $71,016 after taxes, according to the N.C. Education Lottery.
“When it’s in the bank, I’ll believe it,” Cagle said in the news release.
It’s not the first time a birthday present has turned into a jackpot win.
In March, officials said a college student was celebrating her big day before she bought herself a lucky ticket. Another North Carolina lottery player scored a major prize just before her birthday, McClatchy News reported in September.
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 December 30, 2022 at 10:22 AM with the headline "Retiree got NC lottery ticket for his birthday. It gave him another reason to celebrate."
