Unexpected $20 discovery leads N.C. man to $100,000 lottery prize

Aug. 18 (UPI) -- A North Carolina man said unexpectedly finding $20 in his pocket led to his winning a $100,000 prize from a scratch-off lottery ticket.

Thomas Presley of Goldsboro told North Carolina Education Lottery officials he had no intention of playing the lottery Wednesday until he discovered he had $20 in his pocket.

Presley ended up buying a $20 100X The Cash scratch-off ticket from the Walmart Neighborhood Market on Tommys Road in Goldsboro and scratching off a $100,000 prize.

"I was just in shock," he recalled. "I couldn't believe it."

Presley said he had to recheck the ticket before he could believe his win.

"Sometimes I mistakenly look at the numbers wrong," he laughed.

The winner said he wasn't the only one who had a hard time believing his luck.

"First I called my wife," he said. "She didn't believe it so I took a picture of it to show her."

Presley said his winnings will go toward some home improvement projects and saving for his daughter's college education.