Nash County man had to catch his breath after $202,012 digital instant win

William Carroll of Nashville needed some time to compose himself on Wednesday after he won a $202,012 digital instant jackpot.

“I was trying to catch my breath,” he laughed. “I was just stunned.”

Carroll said he told his wife the good news right away.

“I called her and told her, ‘Meet me in Raleigh,’” Carroll recalled. “We are going to enjoy this.”

Carroll played $30 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 1 million.

“I’ve never experienced anything like that,” Carroll said. “I was pumped.”

He claimed his prize Thursday at lottery headquarters and, after required federal and state tax withholdings, took home $144,953.

Carroll plans to use his winnings to pay some bills.

In the Wheel of Bonuses digital instant game, a player can play from 50 cents to $30. After Carroll won the jackpot, it restarted at $50,000 and has grown to over $68,000 as of Friday morning.

Digital instant games are played exclusively online on the lottery’s website or on the NC Lottery Official Mobile App. Forty-five different games are available to play online now.

Nash County received $50 million in grants with money raised by the lottery to build new schools. For details on other ways money from the lottery made a difference for education programs in Nash County, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.