A Vietnam vet and a cook spin giant wheel during live NC lottery game — and win big

A Vietnam veteran and a cook got more than they bargained for during a live lottery game in North Carolina.

That’s because the two collectively won $1.3 million on Nov. 17 in the $10 Bigger Spin lottery game, according to the NC Education Lottery.

Truman Caddell, a retired U.S. Postal Service supervisor and Vietnam veteran, spun the wheel first — and won $900,000, lottery officials said.

“I feel so blessed,” Caddell, who served in Vietnam from 1970 to 1971, told lottery officials. “My eyes were on the $2 million. I didn’t know how many times the $2 million was on there. After the first time, I was like, ‘I would be happy with anything.’ It was just an exciting moment. That wheel is exciting.”

Caddell bought his $10 scratch-off ticket at SP Food Mart on Lawndale Drive in Greensboro during a grocery run — and he’s glad he did.

“I love the game,” Caddell said in a news release. “It’s interesting and it’s fun. Out of all the tickets I play, I get excited about this ticket. I’ve been praising the Lord. Hallelujah!”

He took home $637,015 after taxes, lottery officials said. He plans on donating 10 percent of his money to his church, paying off his condo mortgage, and possibly buying a new house.

Durham cook Seima Garcia was up next — and could feel her emotions running high, she said in a news release.

I’m “excited, super excited,” Garcia told lottery officials after landing a $400,000 prize. “My mom is going to freak out.”

Garcia purchased her $10 lottery ticket from the Wellons Village Family Fare on North Miami Boulevard in Durham, according to the lottery service.

She took home $283,265 after taxes, officials said.

Garcia’s win not only allows her to go back to school and also gives her daughter the same opportunity.

“I have a sense of peace that my daughter can go to school, too,” she told lottery officials.

Both Garcia and Caddell were guaranteed to take home at least $400,000 — and had a shot at winning $2 million.

The Bigger Spin game started in September and includes multiple ways to win, according to the lottery service. Players can scratch a “spin prize” and go to ncbiggerspin.com to spin a digital wheel. Their digital spin can win them either a cash prize or a chance to play during a live event.

This story was originally published November 17, 2021 at 6:34 PM with the headline "A Vietnam vet and a cook spin giant wheel during live NC lottery game — and win big."

Karina Mazhukhina

McClatchy DC

Karina Mazhukhina is a McClatchy Real-Time News Reporter. She graduated from the University of Washington and was previously a digital journalist for KOMO News, an ABC-TV affiliate in Seattle.