North Carolina man bought two identical lottery tickets and won two jackpots
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CNN — A 49-year-old North Carolina man accidentally bought two identical lottery tickets and hit jackpot with both.
Scotty Thomas wasn’t sure if he had bought a ticket in the state’s Lucky for Life lottery drawing, so he filled out an online form.
“I was just laying in bed watching a basketball game on TV and I couldn’t remember if I filled it out or not,” said Thomas, according to the North Carolina Education Lottery.
“I went ahead and filled it out again and the next morning my son asked why there were two different amounts listed. I realized, ‘I think I filled it out twice.'”
Surprisingly enough, it turned out he won $25,000 each year for life with each ticket in the November 27 drawing, CNN reports. That prize is the Lucky for Life’s drawing second-biggest prize.
“When I realized I won, I had to lay down on the floor because I really just couldn’t believe it,” Thomas said. “It’s just a blessing.”
He opted for a lump sum of $780,000 for both tickets instead of annual payments, according to the lottery, saying he wanted to invest in his business, pay off his bills, help his family out, and possibly buy a house.
After taxes, he made $551,851, the lottery said.
