Man thinks he only won $200 in lottery — until he keeps scratching NC ticket
At first, Brian Leach thought he only won $200 off his North Carolina lottery ticket.
Then he saw more zeros.
By the time he had scratched off the entire $5 Gold Standard ticket, he had won $200,000, according to lottery officials.
“I feel like I’m 45 today,” Leach told lottery officials. “I feel pretty good today.”
The 64-year-old Youngsville resident had bought the ticket from Lowes Foods on Gateway Commons Circle in Wake Forest, according to lottery officials.
Leach waited until he got home with his wife to scratch off the ticket. When he saw his jackpot, he handed it to his wife, speechless, lottery officials said.
“She started to get real excited,” Leach told officials. “We couldn’t believe it happened to us.”
Leach said he would use the win to pay off bills and maybe put a new pool in their backyard. He ended up taking home $142,021 after state and federal taxes.
“We’re thrilled to death,” Leach said. “It’s been a fun ride.”
Youngsville is 24 miles northeast of Raleigh.
This story was originally published April 5, 2022 at 1:47 PM.
