NC man bought two lottery tickets — but his instinct to buy one more paid off big time
A man with two lottery tickets felt the need to pick up another one — and his instinct paid off big time in North Carolina.
That’s because the third scratch-off Larry Parks bought was worth $1 million, the N.C. Education Lottery said last week in a news release.
“Something told me to go in and buy another one,” Parks told the lottery. “If I hadn’t, someone else would be sitting where I’m sitting now.”
Officials say Parks’ good fortune started in early May when he went to Mel’s Superette, a convenience store in Hickory.
That’s where he decided to buy two tickets for the $10,000,000 Colossal Cash game, each at a cost of $30, the N.C. Education Lottery says. But “for some reason,” Parks decided to return to the store and ended up snagging a third lucky ticket, according to officials.
“I thought I wasn’t looking at it right,” Parks said in the lottery’s news release. “I just assumed I’d win my money back, you know, $30, and then I saw the $1 million. It’s pretty hard to believe still.”
Parks, who works as a maintenance mechanic, chose to take his prize in a lump sum and got $424,509 after taxes, the release said.
After his big win, he plans to buy a new house and put the rest of the money in savings, according to the lottery.
Parks currently lives in Valdese, which is in Burke County and roughly 65 miles northwest of Charlotte.
This story was originally published June 8, 2020 at 12:36 PM with the headline "NC man bought two lottery tickets — but his instinct to buy one more paid off big time."
