Chad Lequire of Whittier said he plans to buy a home for his family after a $10 Fast Play ticket won him a $827,330 jackpot on Wednesday.

“I still can’t believe it right now to be honest with you,” Lequire said.

He bought his lucky Big Bucks Bingo ticket early Wednesday morning from PJ’s Fast Food Mart on Asheville Highway in Sylva.

“It was just part of my normal routine,” Lequire recalled. “And that’s the game I like to play.”

At the time of his purchase, the jackpot stood at $827,330. Since he bought a $10 ticket, Lequire received 100% of the progressive jackpot.

“I’ve never won anything big like this before,” Lequire said.

He arrived Wednesday to collect his prize and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $589,476.

In addition to buying a house, Lequire said he will pay some bills and help out his family.
Fast Play features an instantly growing jackpot that increases with every ticket sold until it is won. As of Thursday afternoon, the Fast Play jackpot stands at $34,000 and counting.

Ticket sales from games like Fast Play make it possible for the lottery to raise $2.8 million a day on average for education. For details on how $1.7 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Jackson County in 2022, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.