Charlotte man quenches thirst with a $100,000 lottery prize

Jorge Dominguez Santos of Charlotte said a craving for coconut juice led him to a $100,000 lottery prize.

His good fortune happened Sunday when he stopped by the Circle K on Central Avenue in Charlotte to get some   coconut and orange juice. When he went to pay, he decided to try his luck with a $4,000,000 Diamond Dazzler scratch-off ticket.
 
“I just figured, ‘Why not?’” Dominguez Santos said.

He scratched the ticket later that afternoon on the way to the Charlotte Spring Fair.

“The prize was the last number I scratched,” Dominguez Santos said. “I saw the ‘36’ and ‘36’ and knew I won something. I kept scratching slowly and saw the number ‘1’. I thought, ‘Okay. Maybe I won $100.’ I kept scratching, and I couldn’t believe it. I started screaming I was so excited!”

Dominguez Santos claimed his prize first thing Monday morning at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required state and federal tax withholdings, he took home $70,507. He plans to use the money to get a new home.

The $20 game launched in September 2017 with three $4 million prizes, six $1 million prizes, and six $100,000 prizes. One $4 million, four $1 million and four $100,000 prizes remain.  

Ticket sales from instant games like $4,000,000 Diamond Dazzler make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $600 million a year for education.

Congratulations!