Ralph Havis of Greensboro got a double helping of good luck when he won $150,000 playing the $500 Cash scratch-off game.

Havis, the owner of Beef Burger, won a $150,000 prize in 2014 and can’t believe he won the same again.

“I never thought I’d be here twice,” Havis said.
Getting a scratch-off ticket was a tradition for Havis and his wife Alma who passed away in January. They would go driving on Sunday afternoons to play the lottery.

“It was something fun she could do since she wasn’t able to get around,” Havis said.

On Monday night Havis decided to continue the tradition and get a scratch-off ticket. He couldn’t believe it when he saw what he won.

“The first thing I thought was, ‘Alma’s still with me’”, Havis said. “Even now she’s still looking out for me.”

The two were childhood sweethearts and were married for 53 years.

Havis claimed his prize Tuesday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After federal and state tax withholdings, he took home $103,876. He plans to put the money in savings and continue the tradition of getting scratch-off tickets.

Havis bought the $5 ticket at the Pop Shoppe on Battleground Avenue in Greensboro. It’s the same place he got his other lucky ticket.

$500 Cash launched in December 2015 with six top prizes of $150,000. One top prize remains.

Ticket sales from games like $500 Cash made it possible for the lottery to raise more than half a billion dollars for the state last year. For details on how over $207.8 million in lottery funds has made a difference in Guilford County, click on the “For Education” section of the lottery’s website.