Man accidentally buys two identical lottery tickets, hits jackpot twice
WFLA 8 On Your Side Staff
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FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WFLA) — A North Carolina man got lucky not once, but twice after accidentally buying two identical lottery tickets and winning jackpots on both of them in a drawing on Nov. 27.
According to the North Carolina Lottery, Scotty Thomas of Fayetteville bought two winning tickets for the $25,000 a year for life prize in the Lucky for Life game.
“I was just laying in bed watching a basketball game on TV, and I couldn’t remember if I filled it out or not,” Thomas said. “I went ahead and filled it out again and the next morning my son asked why there were two different amounts listed. I realized, ‘I think I filled it out twice.’”
The 49-year-old dump truck operator ended up getting two emails about his winnings because he accidentally bought both $2 tickets through the lottery’s online play program. Whenever someone wins, they get a message back about their prize.
“When I realized I won, I had to lay down on the floor because I really just couldn’t believe it,” Thomas said. “It’s just a blessing.”
While Thomas had the option of getting the combined $50,000 payments every year for the rest of his life, he ended up collecting a lump sum of $390,000 from each ticket, getting a total of $780,000 to invest in his business and a new house, pay some bills, and help his family.
After taxes, he ended up taking home $551,851.
