Jeffrey Bruce of Holly Ridge likes playing digital instants at his house and Sunday night he hit the jackpot with a $153,452 win.
“It was just sitting on the couch watching TV while I was playing,” he recalled. “It was unbelievable.”
Bruce played a $2 ticket and won the top level ‘Epic jackpot’ in the Wheel of Bonuses game, a digital instant game featuring a progressive jackpot that can be won at any time. The odds of that win are 1 in 15.5 million.
“I’ve never won anything like this before,” he said. “I guess I just got lucky.”
Bruce said he had to double-check his ticket the next day.
“When I woke up the next morning, I had to check to make sure it wasn’t a dream,” Bruce laughed.
He claimed his prize Tuesday at lottery headquarters and, after required federal and state tax withholdings, took home $110,103.
Bruce said he plans to use his winnings to buy a business and help out his three daughters.
In the Wheel of Bonuses digital instant game, a player can play from 50 cents to $30. After Bruce won the jackpot, it restarted at $50,000 and has grown to over $70,000 as of Tuesday afternoon.
Digital instant games are played exclusively online on the lottery’s website or on the NC Lottery Official Mobile App. Forty-one different games are available to play online now.
The N.C. Education Lottery’s Play Smart™ program helps North Carolinians make the most of their lottery play. Visit ncplaysmart.com to learn about all things lottery, from tips on how odds work to how to enter bonus drawings. If you or someone you know needs support, visit morethanagame.nc.gov/ for free, confidential help.
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