Luck strikes twice for Burke County man with $250,000 prize

February 7, 2020 Posted by NC Lottery at 2:14 PM

Seven years ago when Donald Hildebran of Connelly Springs won $200,000 with the lottery he celebrated with a beach trip. He’s off to the beach again after a second big win of $250,000.

Hildebran tried the new 20X The Cash game and won the first top prize. His win in June 2013 came in the $200,000 Extreme Cash game.

The retiree stopped at the Quality Mart on South Sterling Street in Morganton on Tuesday. He bought two tickets at first, then went back to buy two more. He says he won big on the fourth one.

“I thought I’d made my five bucks back,” Hildebran said. “But when I scanned the ticket it told me to go to lottery headquarters.”

He claimed his prize on Wednesday. After required state and federal tax withholdings, he took home $176,876.

Hildebran said he spent some of his first big win on a trip to the beach and will do the same with this big win.

“I’m going fishing,” he said. “I’m going to the beach!”

Hildebran wants to make that drive in a brand new Ford Explorer.

“It’s got more room,” he said. “For what you’ll need to take to the beach.”

The 20X The Cash game launched on Tuesday with six top prizes of $250,000. Five $250,000 prizes remain. All Multiply the Cash games can also be entered into second-chance drawings on the lottery’s website. Prizes include one $100,000 cash prize, eight $5,000 cash prizes, and 25 $500 cash prizes. The entry deadline for the first of four second-chance drawings is March 31 and the drawing is scheduled for April 8.

15 COMMENTS

2/10/2020 04:14 - christopher m.

Hi I’m just wondering why when I look at the At the winners for the drawings items I have 0 entries when I’ve entered many!NC Lottery
Not to worry, all your entries are still there! Our website was just having a little trouble getting entry totals to display, but it should be corrected now. Please check again and if you still aren't seeing your entries, let us know.

2/10/2020 10:39 - Brenda S.

Where do you find out who won on the second chance drawings for December extra drawing?NC Lottery
Hi Brenda, As winners claim their prize, we will update the winners list here: https://nclottery.com/RewardsDraw?dn=1. Just click on the Jan 29 drawing and then click "Winners".

2/09/2020 10:50 - Gloria C.

Congradulations to you. I wish you many more happy wins to come.

2/09/2020 08:42 - Janet O.

God bless you.

2/09/2020 08:10 - John J.

how great it must feel to be retired and have some money... tried so many times, I'm getting old and wore out... I always prayed I could beat the odds, but no luck on scratch-offs or drawings. My family has even turned against me for losing so much money. Dis-heartened and sad. NC Lottery
Hi John! Operating responsibly is at the core of everything we do and we encourage folks to play for fun, only with money they can afford to spend on entertainment. We never want someone to play with money needed for important things like food or bills. Part of our commitment to responsible gaming is being the sole provider of funding to the N.C. Problem Gambling Program. We are also committed to upholding the best practices in and have received the highest level of responsible gaming certification. While too much of anything can become a problem, we have tools in place that can help players stay in control of their play. You can learn more here: nclottery.com/PlaySmart

2/09/2020 08:10 - John J.

2/09/2020 08:42 - Michael M.

I am glad when anyone wins. However, as others have stated a large percent of winners are from the Piedmont area. Small towns for the most parts or small country stores. The Eastern Part of the state. very few big winners ever.The tickets just aren't distributed fairly! I buy 4 or 5 tickets and all are duds! It makes you want to quit playing or drive upstate to purchase them! NC Lottery
Hi Michael! It's not easier to win the lottery in a big place than a small one. There are just more people taking a chance to win there. We can assure you that if you move to Charlotte or Hickory it does not become easier to win a lottery prize there. The lottery can only work if everyone has the same chance to win, and no matter where you live you have the same chance to beat the odds as someone anyplace else! Good luck!

2/09/2020 07:25 - avery f.

Congratulations to all the winners I'm not a hater because I know I am going to hit one day just patiently waiting on my time but I live here in Wilmington NC and we very seldom have big winner's Everytime I read the reviews it's always in the larger city's not here in Wilmington NC put us some winning scratch offs in these stores here in Wilmington NC because I play everyday I want to see my name up there once again congratulations to everyone. NC Lottery
Hi Avery!Moving to another area in the state isn't a way to beat the odds, as the odds will remain the same no matter where you are in the state. That said, we've seen lots of winners in your area! Here's a peek at a few: https://www.wwaytv3.com/2020/01/30/50000-powerball-ticket-sold-in-wilmington/ https://www.starnewsonline.com/news/20191218/wilmington-couple-wins-275000-in-lottery

2/08/2020 01:58 - Allen M.

i think, if truly and properly randomized, that it's certainly possible for double winners at same place. congrats! sort of like 3 aces in a row after a properly shuffled deck. pure, random luck :)

2/08/2020 11:23 - Berry B.

Congrats to you, Njoy your winning!Y,do it seems like 90 percent of winners r in the Piedmont region?

2/08/2020 11:19 - Sheila I.

@bradley c. It happens. I once bought 3 $30 scratch offs. The first one was a dud. The second, I won $500 each... shocking

2/08/2020 08:55 - Bradley C.

Some people are just lucky, I'm originally from PA, a woman from Bethlehem scratched off 2 one million winners within a month from the same store.

2/07/2020 10:03 - Melburn R.

Andy I agree. It's nice to see a repeat winner once in a while but obviously they aren't putting them everywhere. Sad to see so many repeat winners. Just like the online winner the other day. I had just said a few days before that it was time for an online winner. No surprise it happened

2/07/2020 07:14 - Charise G.

Andy C. That's not necessarily true. This guy's wins are almost seven years apart. The woman from a couple of weeks ago was in the Raleigh/Durham area. It makes sense that larger areas will have more winners because they sell more tickets. Yes it can be annoying to see people win multiple times when we haven't had one big win but that does not mean something is not right. We don't know how many/how often they buy tickets. They could be spending hundreds of dollars a month on tickets. Good luck to you.

2/07/2020 03:52 - Andy C.

Here we go again with the repeat winners. These tickets are not dispersed correctly. The amount of repeat top prize winners in NC is astounding compared to other states.

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Luck strikes twice for Burke County man with $250,000 prize

February 7, 2020 Posted by NC Lottery at 2:14 PM