Lucky lottery ticket leaves man with a ‘nice early birthday present’ in North Carolina
An “avid golfer” tried his luck on a lottery ticket — and won a prize worth celebrating.
“It’s my birthday in a week,” Jack Romans Jr. told the North Carolina Education Lottery. “This is a nice early birthday present.”
Romans scored the $100,000 gift after he stopped at RM Mart, a store near the South Carolina border in the coastal town of Sunset Beach. While there, he bought a ticket for the $2,000,000 Diamond Deluxe scratch-off game, officials said in a May 13 news release.
It turns out, Romans’ $20 ticket was worth much more.
“I guess I was just in the right place at the right time,” Romans said.
Romans, who is from the town of Calabash, kept $71,506 after taxes. The golf lover already knows what he will do with his winnings.
“I’m going to get a new set of irons,” Romans said, adding that he also wants to put money toward bills.
It’s not the first time a lottery player hoped to treat themselves to golf gear. Another North Carolina winner planned to let his wife spend his windfall — as long as he could spend some of it on golf clubs, McClatchy News reported in 2022.
Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.
If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.
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