A new father struck luck and won a top prize in a lottery game after he noticed a scratch-off ticket called “Holiday Cash” and made the decision to purchase one, according to officials from the N.C. lottery.
“I saw a zero, then I saw another zero, then another zero,” Ladaryenne Smith of Franklinton said after claiming the $150,000 prize at lottery headquarters in Raleigh on Friday, according to a lottery news release. “It was just crazy.”
On Christmas Eve, Smith purchased the Holiday Cash 50X ticket worth $5 at the Dabney Pit Stop in Henderson.
According to the Holiday Cash 50X page on the lottery website, he managed to beat odds of 1 in 4.18 million.
In his car, Smith scratched the ticket and was filled with disbelief as he realized his incredible win.
He admitted to looking at it around 600 times.
“I couldn’t even sleep after that,” Smith said with a laugh, as he recounted his reaction to winning the big lottery prize.
According to officials, Smith’s net income amounted to $107,251 after accounting for taxes.
“This couldn’t have come at a better time,” Smith exclaimed with a sense of relief. “My wife and I just welcomed our newborn baby into the world.”
He mentioned that he would deposit the money into a bank and use his winnings for investments.
According to the Holiday Cash 50X game page, the game was introduced in November and it had four top prizes, one of which is yet to be claimed.