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Just five weeks after winning a $100,000 lottery prize, Michael Buinicky of Charlotte scratched his way to a $750,000 prize.
“I can’t believe how lucky I am,” Buinicky said. “It’s really surreal.”
Buinicky’s first round of good luck happened on Feb. 9 when he won $100,000 playing the 100X The Cash scratch-off game. Luck hit a second time when the Air Force veteran stopped by the Harris Teeter on Matthews Township Parkway in Matthews.
“I got a Jumbo Bucks ticket from the vending machine,” Buinicky explained. “I’ve always liked that ticket. I started scratching and saw the ‘34’ and ‘34’. I thought, ‘Wait a minute. That’s the top prize.’ I put the ticket under the scanner and it said, ‘Go to headquarters’ and I knew I’d won.”
He claimed the prize Monday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required state and federal tax withholdings, he took home $528,760. The first time Buinicky won, he used the money to help his son with graduate school and his daughter buy her first home. This time, he plans to use some of the money to make his 30-year-old dream come true.
“I’ve always wanted to restore a muscle car,” Buinicky said. “I’m going to get a 66 Corvette and fix it up. I can see it now. It’s going to be amazing.”
A new version of the $10 ticket launched in January. Buinicky is the first player to win the top prize of $750,000. Seven top prizes remain.
Congratulations!
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