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DESPITE a lucky coincidence, a $100,000 lottery winner will not be going home with his full winnings.
Jack Romans Jr. struck it big with the North Carolina lottery after deciding to take a chance and buy a lotto ticket.
The reason he finally chose to grab a ticket was simple, he told the North Carolina Education Lottery, reported the Miami Herald.
“It’s my birthday in a week,” Romans said.
“This is a nice early birthday present.”
Right off the South Carolina border, the self-proclaimed “avid golfer” stopped at an RM Mart to make the purchase.
He bought a $2,000,000 Diamond Deluxe scratch-off game for $20 not expecting to win much.
Romans described his win to be that of coincidence.
“I guess I was just in the right place at the right time,” Romans said.
The game’s top prize is $2 million, with four total prizes of this kind in circulation.
Romans’ winnings was a slightly more likely outcome, but not by much.
With 8 total prizes in circulation, the odds of winning the $100,000 is one in 767,778, compared to the grand prize odds of one in 1,535,557.
Despite his gross gain being $100,000, the birthday boy took home $71,506 after taxes.
Despite taking an over 25% cut to his winnings, Romans remained positive, dreaming about his first major purchase with the winnings.
“I’m going to get a new set of irons,” Romans said, planning to invest in his golf hobby.
The winner also expects to put some of the money into paying off bills.
There are three remaining $2 million prizes and five $100,000 prizes left to be claimed.
Money made from the North Carolina lottery goes towards the state’s education budget, per the lottery website.
“When you play the lottery, you aren’t just getting a chance to win big, you’re helping students and schools across the state,” it reads.
“The money raised by the lottery supports education programs in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties. While the money raised each year represents only a portion of the state’s overall education budget, it still makes a difference – just see for yourself.”
The funds go towards projects like revamping schools, paying teachers, and providing scholarships for preschool students and college students.
Top lottery winners in the US
Millions dream of winning the lottery and finding fame and fortune. These are the biggest winners in US lottery history.
- Edwin Castro – $2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 8, 2022, in California.
- Theodorus Struyck – $1.765 billion, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023, in California.
- Unknown winner – $1.602 billion, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023, in Florida.
- Marvin and Mae Acosta from Los Angeles, California, John and Lisa Robinson from Munford, Tennessee, and Maureen Smith and David Kaltschmidt from Melbourne Beach, Florida – $1.586 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016.
- Unknown winner – $1.537 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018, from South Carolina.
- Unknown winner – he sued the mother of his child to keep his identity hidden – $1.348 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023, from Maine.
- Unknown winner – $1.337 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022, from Illinois.
- Cheng and Duanpen Saephan, and Laiza Liem Chao – $1.326 billion, Powerball, April 7, 2024, from Oregon.
- Yanira Alvarez – $1.08 billion Powerball, July 19, 2023 in California.
- Wolverine FLL Lottery Club – $1.05 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021, from Michigan.
- Unknown winner – $842.4 million Powerball, Jan. 1, 2024, from Michigan.
