A last-minute decision to buy a scratch-off led Agustin Perez Jr. of Hendersonville to a $100,000 prize.
“I was about to walk out the door without buying the ticket,” he said.
Perez, a 43-year-old farmer, bought his lucky Millionaire Maker ticket from the Dana Food Center on Dana Road in Hendersonville. He said everyone in the store celebrated with him when he won.
“We all just screamed and yelled,” he said.
Perez said he initially thought he only won a few dollars.
“Then, I just kept seeing more and more zeroes,” he recalled.
Perez arrived at lottery headquarters Friday to collect his prize and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $71,259.
He said he would like to use the money to help bring his family from Mexico to the United States.
Ticket sales from scratch-offs make it possible for the lottery to raise $2.5 million a day on average for education. For details on how $5.7 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Henderson County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.