'It’s a good day,’ Charlotte mechanic says of winning a $300,000 BIG SPIN prize

Yaya Kara of Charlotte said he’s going to make his kids dreams of having a house with a pool come true after he won a $300,000 BIG SPIN prize.

“They’ve been asking for a pool ever since they found out I had a chance to spin the wheel,” Kara said. “I’m planning to get a new home with a pool, but most importantly, I plan to take care of my mom.”

The auto mechanic’s good luck started when he stopped at the R&K Express Mart on Lawyers Road in Mint Hill. While there, he bought The BIG SPIN scratch-off ticket.

“I scratched it and saw a wheel,” Kara said. “I didn’t know what I won. I showed it to the clerk who scanned it. Music started playing so I knew I won something good. When I learned how much I could win, I was shocked and excited. It was a good day.”

Kara’s luck continued Tuesday at a live event in Raleigh. Surrounded by a crowd of supporters, Kara stepped up to the BIG SPIN prize wheel and gave it a spin. The crowd roared when the wheel stopped on $300,000.

“It’s a good day,” Kara said as he was presented with the big check.

After required state and federal tax withholdings, Kara took home $212,522.

The BIG SPIN scratch-off ticket launched in October. The $5 game has three levels of play. Players can win a cash prize instantly, or get directed to a website where they can spin a digital wheel and win a cash prize or a BIG SPIN. If they win a BIG SPIN prize, they get the chance to spin the BIG SPIN prize wheel during a live event and win up to $500,000. 

Ticket sales from games like The BIG SPIN make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $700 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.