Deliveryman wins NC jackpot prize — and skeptical wife wants to see ticket for herself
A North Carolina man won a big lottery prize — but thought it was a mistake at first.
Mitchell Urquiza wasn’t the only person skeptical that he had hit the jackpot. When the 31-year-old called his wife with the good news about his ticket, she also wasn’t sold, according to the N.C. Education Lottery.
“She didn’t believe it either,” Urquiza said in a Dec. 7 news release. “She told me to come home so she could make sure I was reading it right.”
It turns out, the ticket was the real deal and Urquiza had won $100,000.
The moments of disbelief came after a trip to the Quick Stop convenience store in Mount Airy, roughly 100 miles north of Charlotte and near the Virginia border. That’s where Urquiza bought a scratch-off ticket for the Grand Money lottery game, officials said.
“He didn’t scratch the ticket right away because he likes to take his time and try his luck throughout the day instead of scratching it all at once,” the N.C. Education Lottery said in its news release.
Urquiza, a deliveryman and father of two, kept $70,756 after taxes and plans to put the money toward bills. After that, he may buy a new house and hopes to help relatives, officials said.
He isn’t the first person with a desire to lend a hand to loved ones after getting a big windfall.
In June, officials said a North Carolina prize winner wanted to get a home for his mom and share his winnings with other relatives.
Another man promised to help his mom after hitting the jackpot in South Carolina, McClatchy News reported in May.
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This story was originally published December 8, 2021 at 8:24 AM with the headline "Deliveryman wins NC jackpot prize — and skeptical wife wants to see ticket for herself."
