Tejas Patel of Fayetteville had a hard time believing his good fortune after his $5 scratch-off revealed a $250,000 prize.
“When I saw the $250,000, I just couldn’t believe it,” he recalled. “Like, how could I just win?”
Patel purchased his winning $250,000 Gold Rush ticket from the Champs Food Mart on N.C. 41 West in Bladenboro.
“I don’t buy a lot of tickets, normally,” he said. “So, this was a surprise.”
He claimed his prize Friday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh and took home $176,876 after required federal and state tax withholdings.
“I just graduated from the University of Akron as a mechanical engineer,” said Patel. “That’s my second degree so it took a little bit of time.” He plans to put his winnings into savings.
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