Man loses in NC lottery, then gets call about huge prize in ‘second chance drawing’

As strange as it sounds, a losing $50 lottery ticket just changed a family’s life in western North Carolina.

The $10 Million Spectacular ticket initially proved worthless, then beat out 1.9 million other entries to win a “second chance drawing,” the N.C. Education Lottery said in a March 11 news release.

Erik Kreiner of Buncombe County was informed in a March 5 phone call that his seemingly useless scratch-off ticket won him $500,000, officials said.

“That was a surreal moment,” Kreiner said in the release. “It was quite shocking.”

He picked up his prize Friday, March 7, at lottery headquarters in Raleigh, and it came to $358,750 after state and federal taxes, officials said.

Kreiner’s hometown of Weaverville was hit hard by flooding and landslides caused by Tropical Storm Helene, and he says he plans to use his winnings to “help family members who sustained losses.”

“It is a good way to pay it forward,” Kreiner said.

Players in $10 Million Spectacular are automatically entered into the “second chance drawing” if they scan tickets into their lottery accounts, lottery officials say. Prizes range from $50,000 to $1 million.

Weaverville is about a 140-mile drive northwest from Charlotte.

This story was originally published March 11, 2025 at 11:25 AM with the headline "Man loses in NC lottery, then gets call about huge prize in ‘second chance drawing’."