Frederick Arrington of Nashville said he’s not one for word games, but after he won a $150,000 lottery prize he now has a lucky word he’ll never forget.
His good luck happened Friday when he stopped by Tony’s Tobacco 132 Shop on West Mount Drive in Nashville and bought a Spicy Hot Crossword scratch-off ticket.
“This was the first time I bought a crossword ticket,” Arrington said. “I usually play the other games. I saw the word ‘Hot’ and figured I’d get one of those instead.”
He took the ticket home and started scratching. At first Arrington thought he won $2,500 because he matched nine words. Two days later, he showed it to his family and learned the ticket was worth much more.
“My sister actually found the tenth word,” Arrington said. “The word ‘Vet.’ That’s a word we’ll never forget.”
He claimed the prize Monday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh.
“This feels good,” Arrington said. “Really good.”
After required state and federal tax withholdings, Arrington took home $105,753. He plans to use some of the money to buy a house.
The $5 ticket launched in May with four top prizes of $150,000. Two top prizes remain.
Ticket sales from games like Spicy Hot Crossword make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $650 million a year for education. For details on how lottery funds have made a difference in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website.
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