A trip to the convenience store for apple juice turned into a $100,000 win for Charles Martin of Gastonia after he decided to get a Millionaire Bucks scratch-off ticket.

Martin, a metal shop worker, got the winning ticket when he stopped to buy apple juice during his lunch break. When he went back to work, he scratched it off.

“I was like, ‘Wow,’” Martin said. “I couldn’t believe it. I stared at the numbers, expecting them to change.”

Martin claimed his prize Wednesday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After federal and state tax withholdings, he received $69,256. He plans to get something nice for his mom and put the rest of the money in savings.
Martin bought the $20 ticket at the Quik Trip on North Chester Street in Gastonia.

Millionaire Bucks launched in January with three $4 million prizes, five $1 million prizes, and eight $100,000 prizes. Two $4 million prizes, four $1 million prizes, and 4 $100,000 prizes remain.

Ticket sales from games like Millionaire Bucks made it possible for the lottery to raise more than half a billion dollars for the state last year. For details on how almost $88.6 million in lottery funds has made a difference in Gaston County click on the “For Education” section of the lottery’s website.