Looking back at 20 of our favorite lottery winners’ stories

Despite a very trying year for many North Carolinians, we still had plenty of stories of good fortune to go around.

Folks like you won more than 262 prizes of $100,000 or more in 2020, including:

• 65 wins from $1 million to $5 million
• Two winners of the Lucky for Life top prize of $1,000 A Day for Life
• Three $10 million wins

And while we couldn’t meet most of our winners in person, we were still lucky enough to be able to share in your excitement and hear some incredible stories.

So as the calendar year comes to an end, join us for a look back at some of the best stories our players shared with us over the last 365 days.

Here’s our take on the Top 20 of 2020:

1. Charlotte mom’s coffee craving turns into $100,000 Carolina Keno win: Mputu Mpeti Basemo of Charlotte said a coffee run and a spur-of-the-moment $2 Carolina Keno purchase led to a $100,000 lottery win. “I am in nursing school,” said Basemo. “I graduate next year and have to pay student loans. I kept worrying about how I was going to cover everything. Now I’ve got help! It just feels so good.” 
2. Lumberton couple celebrates 70th wedding anniversary with jackpot win: For James and Maxine Hilliker of Lumberton, a tradition of playing the lottery together led to a $768,862 Cash 5 jackpot win a week before their 70th wedding anniversary. 
3. Cash 5 delivers $251,643 jackpot win to Garner FedEx driver: For Major McLean of Garner, being a FedEx driver means making deliveries to others. But on Aug. 8, he was the one on the receiving end of a sweet surprise – a $251,643 Cash 5 jackpot win. 
4. U.S Marines veteran celebrates Veterans Day with $1 million prize: Yaheem Jones of Creswell, a former combat engineer in the U.S. Marine Corps, was cleaning up when he stumbled upon a surprise in the form of a scratch-off ticket worth $1 million. 
5. Duplin County man to use $200,000 prize to buy a new truck for his dad: Alexander Gonzalez-Ramirez of Beulaville plans to buy a special gift for his dad after winning the last Super 7s $200,000 top prize. 
6. Carolina Pick 4 players win $9.2 million with 9-9-9-9: The numbers 9-9-9-9 in the Aug. 24 Carolina Pick 4 drawing added up to a $9.2 million win for lottery players, the most ever won in a single drawing in the game. 
7. Buncombe County woman tries Online Play, wins $775,794 Cash 5 jackpot: When Benita Johnson of Asheville couldn’t visit a store to play her favorite game, Carolina Cash 5, she decided to buy her ticket through Online Play on the lottery’s website and ended up winning a $775,794 jackpot. “My aunt and I were very close,” Johnson said, “I cared for her until she passed. The address on my aunt’s house was 326 and that’s the date I won.” 
8. Three spin BIG SPIN wheel to land on big wins: On June 12, a nurse, a store clerk, and a small businessman took turns spinning the BIG SPIN prize wheel and landed on prizes ranging from $150,000 to $250,000. 
9. Retired Onslow County Marine to use $10 million prize to honor son: Retired Marine Master Sergeant Alvin Mack II of Jacksonville plans to use a $10 million lottery prize to keep his son’s memory alive by giving back to his community and helping a foundation that supported his family in their time of need. 
10. Son gives mom $100,000 winning lottery ticket on New Year’s Day: Jacqueline Carpenter of Dallas said she won a $100,000 lottery prize when her son gave her a scratch-off ticket on New Year’s Day. 
11. Durham County man bags $366,673 Cash 5 jackpot with 26-year-old numbers: Terry Coggeshall of Durham and his wife have been using the same set of numbers to play the lottery for 26 years, and on Wednesday, those numbers won them a $366,673 Cash 5 jackpot. 
12. 'I definitely believe in second chances’ says Halifax County cancer survivor after $100,000 win: Eric Alexander of Scotland Neck is no stranger to second chances. He’s beaten cancer before, and on June 3, his newest second chance came as a $100,000 win in the 2020 Multiply the Cash second-chance drawing. 
13. Winston-Salem woman wins $1,000 a Day for Life with a $2 ticket: For Damian Zepponi of Winston-Salem, a $1,000 a Day for Life prize means she can fulfill a dream of starting a ministry to help others. 
14. Union County couple to use $167,849 Cash 5 jackpot for Thanksgiving meals: When William Bailey of Weddington and his wife, Hazel, learned they won a $167,849 Cash 5 jackpot, they decided to use some of their prize money to give Thanksgiving dinners to families in need. 
15. ‘I’ll still be the same old me’ says Johnston County man after $10 million win: Wade Harmon of Kenly purchased a single $300,000,000 Supreme Riches scratch-off ticket on his way home from work and won $10 million, the largest scratch-off prize in the state. Despite winning the largest amount possible for a lottery scratch-off ticket, Harmon said his big win won’t change him.
16. $186,766 Cash 5 jackpot will help Cleveland County woman care for family: Deborah Seay of Kings Mountain said a $186,766 Cash 5 jackpot will help her take care of her family and allow her to look toward a dream of having a lake house. “My brother passed away last year, so my 85-year-old mother came to live with me,” said Seay. “I adopted my autistic grandchild June the 10th and my older son has a disability. I just like the idea of knowing that I have that money in case something happens because so many people are depending on me.” 
17. Family members’ Powerball picks bag $1 million win for Rowan County man: Jonathan Gonzalez of Salisbury asked his grandparents, his uncle, his father, and his sister for help with a Powerball ticket and the good luck they shared won him $1 million.
18. With ‘a wish and a dream,’ Gaston County man wins $1,127,585 Cash 5 jackpot: Gary Grant of Mount Holly was buying a birthday cake when he decided to check a few Cash 5 tickets, and one of them won him a $1,127,585 jackpot. “It was an amazing feeling and still is hard to believe,” said Grant. “I was holding on to a wish and a dream. I never would have thought that I’d be a winner.” 
19. ‘I’m a very lucky man’ says Catawba County cancer survivor after $250,000 win: Marcus Pitts of Hickory and his wife tried their luck on a few scratch-off tickets and found themselves the lucky winners of a $250,000 top prize. The couple have both battled health problems and plan to use their money to pay off their medical bills. “I’m a very lucky man,” said Pitts, who has been in remission from a form of bone cancer since 2018. 
20. This is great!’ says Davie County man of $1 million second-chance win: When Roger Hutchens of Mocksville got the phone call from the lottery telling him that he had won $1 million, he thought it was a friend playing a joke on him. “We have some college loans that this’ll help so the kids don’t have payments when they get married,” he said. “I have a daughter that’s getting married in March, so this is going to help in a lot of ways.”

We hope you’ve enjoyed looking back at some of our top winner stories from 2020. Don’t forget to comment and tell us which story is your favorite and why!

We can’t wait to find out who will be a part of next year’s top winner stories. Best of luck, and have a Happy New Year, North Carolina — We’ll see you in 2021!