‘I’m tickled to death,’ Madison County grandfather says of $100,000 prize

For Jackie Gosnell of Hot Springs, a $100,000 prize means a boost in retirement savings.

“I might even retire early,” said Gosnell, who builds power lines for a living. “We’ll see, but either way it’s nice to know I don’t have to work as hard.”

Gosnell’s good fortune happened Friday morning when he stopped at the Handy Mart on North Main Street in Weaverville and bought a $150 Million Cash Explosion scratch-off ticket.
 
Gosnell claimed his prize Monday morning at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required state and federal tax withholdings, he took home $70,756.

“I’m tickled to death,” Gosnell said when he got the check. 

In addition to retirement, Gosnell plans to use some of the money to spoil his eight grandkids.  

The $20 ticket launched in October 2018 with four top prizes of $4 million, six $1 million prizes, and 10 $100,000 prizes. Two $4 million prizes, three $1 million prizes, and six $100,000 prizes remain.
 
Ticket sales from games like $150 Million Cash Explosion 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.