Saturday, November 9, 2024

Wilmington man scores $2M on $20 scratch-off

John Robbins won a $2 million prize from the NC Education Lottery after purchasing a $20 scratch-off on College Road in Wilmington. (Courtesy NC Education Lottery)

WILMINGTON — John Robbins took a chance on big money after purchasing a scratch-off ticket while playing the N.C. Education Lottery. A $20 investment paid out $2 million in the end when the 54-year-old purchased an Ultimate 7’s at the Han-Dee Hugo’s on College Road.

According to a press release from the lottery, Robbins asked a coworker to doublecheck his ticket after realizing he won.

“He looked at it and said, ‘Man you got it. This is the big one,’” Robbins said in a press release. “I had to try to keep my composure. I didn’t want to alarm too many people.”

Robbins chose the lump-sum payout of $1.2 million instead of the annuity of $100,000 over 20 years. Robbins, who said he worked two jobs for years, plans to give back to the community with the and perhaps follow his own dream of becoming an entrepreneur.

Robbins won the last $2 million prize out four that the the Ultimate 7’s paid out since its debut in May 2021. Now that all prizes have been claimed, the lottery will end the game, a release noted.

Scratch-off game sales contribute more than $900 million a year for education, according to the N.C. Education Lottery. For details on how $11.1 million raised by the lottery made a difference in New Hanover County in 2021, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.


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Shea Carver
Shea Carver
Shea Carver is the editor in chief at Port City Daily. A UNCW alumna, Shea worked in the print media business in Wilmington for 22 years before joining the PCD team in October 2020. She specializes in arts coverage — music, film, literature, theatre — the dining scene, and can often be tapped on where to go, what to do and who to see in Wilmington. When she isn’t hanging with her pup, Shadow Wolf, tending the garden or spinning vinyl, she’s attending concerts and live theater.

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