Thomas Shadley of Fayetteville has a specific strategy he uses when he plays the lottery and on Wednesday it delivered him a $100,000 prize.
“I only play on Wednesdays and Saturdays,” he said. “And I always wait until 11 p.m. to scratch my tickets. That’s just what I do.”
Shadley bought his lucky $20 100X The Cash ticket from College Lakes Liberty on Ramsey Street in Fayetteville. Even though he bought his tickets on Wednesday morning, he waited until 11 p.m. that night like usual to check them.
“I saw one zero, then another zero and then another,” Shadley recalled. “Then I went to wake my wife up to tell her.”
Shadley said his wife told him she wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep after he showed her how much money they won.
He arrived at lottery headquarters Thursday to claim his prize and, after required federal and state tax withholdings, took home $71,756.
Shadley said he plans to use his winnings to pay some bills and take a trip to New Orleans with his wife to celebrate their 36th wedding anniversary.
The 100X The Cash game debuted this month with four top prizes of $2 million and six prizes of $100,000. Four $2 million prizes and four $100,000 prizes remain to be claimed.
For details on how $22.3 million raised by the lottery made a difference for education programs in Cumberland County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.