RALEIGH – James Reid, an HVAC technician from Greensboro, turned a stop in Reidsville on Tuesday into a moment he won’t soon forget. While shopping at the Ross Grocery on N.C. 87 on Tuesday, he purchased a $5 Golden 7’s ticket that turned out to be worth $150,000.

“I was scratching in the van outside the store and I thought I had won $150,” Reid said. “I handed the ticket to my co-worker and he told me I had actually won $150,000. I couldn’t believe it then and I still can’t now.”

After state and federal taxes were withheld, Reid received a check worth $103,801. He plans to use his winnings to pay bills and take a family vacation.
As of Wednesday afternoon, one more $150,000 prize remains to be claimed in the game.

Ticket sales have made it possible for the lottery to raise more than $3.4 billion for the state. North Carolina Education Lottery net proceeds will be used this year to help pay salaries of teachers and teacher assistants, for pre-kindergarten programs for at-risk four-year-olds, school construction and repair, and need-based college scholarships and financial aid.

For details on how more than $154 million in lottery funds have made a difference in Guilford County, click on the “Where the Money Goes” tab on the lottery’s website.