Lottery winner's prankster past made wife skeptical of $250,000 jackpot

May 6 (UPI) -- A South Carolina man had extra trouble convincing his wife that his $250,000 lottery win was legitimate due to her memories of a past prank.

The Richburg man and his wife told South Carolina Education Lottery officials they don't normally play the lottery, but they won $10 on a ticket they received as a Christmas gift and used the money to buy another ticket, which was also a winner.

The couple kept their winning streak going until the man stopped for take-out and bought a Money to the Max scratch-off that turned out to be a $250,000 winner.

The man had a difficult time convincing his wife the win was real, and for good reason -- he had previously pranked her with a fake winning ticket.

"I grabbed his face with both my hands and made him look me the eye," the wife recalled. "I asked, 'Are you messing with me?'"

The couple said their win came at just the right time.

"This is a life changer," said the wife. "Especially in these times."