He almost gave away his lottery ticket. Now, NC man is ‘so glad’ he changed his mind
A North Carolina man almost gave his lottery ticket to someone else — but his “last-minute” decision to keep it paid off, officials said.
“I’m so glad I didn’t give it away,” Eduardo Martinez Ortiz told the N.C. Education Lottery after discovering the ticket was worth $250,000.
Now, Ortiz said he plans to put his prize money toward his parents’ home payments. He hit the jackpot after he bought the lucky lottery ticket at a Royal Farms convenience store in New Bern, roughly 115 miles southeast of Raleigh.
Ortiz, who likes to give his relatives scratch-off tickets for Christmas gifts, also bought some for himself this year. He was going to give the winning ticket to one of his family members before his gut told him to back off, lottery officials wrote Dec. 29 in a news release.
“Something was just telling me to scratch it myself,” Ortiz said in the release.
Ortiz kept the $20 ticket for himself and learned it was worth much more. He was with his dad when he realized he won the top prize in the holiday-themed Perfect Gift scratch-off game.
“We got emotional and teared up a little bit,” said Ortiz, who kept $178,131 after taxes.
It’s not the first time a lottery player has stopped themselves from making a costly mistake. In Maryland, a woman was about to throw her lottery ticket in the trash when she found out she won big, McClatchy News reported.
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.
