He thought his lottery win was a mistake — but reality left NC man feeling ‘skippy’
A North Carolina man didn’t believe he hit the jackpot — so he had to check the lucky ticket for himself.
Barry King later realized his prize was the real deal, leaving him “feeling just skippy,” according to the N.C. Education Lottery.
King scored $133,510 after he stopped at a Food Lion supermarket in Tarboro, roughly 70 miles northeast of Raleigh. While at the store’s Western Boulevard location, officials said he spent $5 on a lucky ticket for the Blizzard Bingo Fast Play game.
After he got back from the grocery store, he said his girlfriend took a closer look at his ticket.
“All of a sudden she yelled, ‘I got all the numbers, I got all the numbers,’” King said in a May 2 news release. “I didn’t believe her so I checked it too.”
After first thinking the win was a mistake, he and his girlfriend celebrated the big prize.
“We are both so happy,” King told lottery officials. “This is really going to help us.”
King — a 73-year-old Edgecombe County resident — kept $94,807 after taxes. He hopes to get a new car and pay off bills, officials said.
It’s not the first time a trip to the supermarket has ended in a windfall
In August, officials said a North Carolina man was cashing in a winning ticket at a grocery store when he scored a scratch-off ticket that made him even richer. Around the same time, three winning lottery tickets were sold at a single store in South Carolina, McClatchy News reported.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREWhen gambling is more than a game
Gambling is designed to be a source of entertainment.
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.
This story was originally published May 3, 2022 at 7:07 AM with the headline "He thought his lottery win was a mistake — but reality left NC man feeling ‘skippy’."
