For Ryan Jerry of Knightdale, winning a $200,000 20X The Cash prize means he can pursue his dream of owning a food truck.
“I feel like I found Willy Wonka’s golden ticket,” Jerry said.
Jerry, a bartender, went to the Eagles Express on Knightdale Boulevard in Knightdale to buy some Carolina Panthers scratch-off tickets. He decided to get the $5 20X The Cash ticket because he had money left over.
“I was in shock,” Jerry said. “The clerk told me I turned pale.”
He claimed his prize Thursday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required state and federal tax withholdings, he took home $138,501.
“I can’t stop smiling,” Jerry said. “It’s really exciting to think about reinventing yourself.”
He plans to do that by making his dream of getting a food truck come true. “I’ve always wanted to do something with different quesadillas,” Jerry said.
20X The Cash launched in February with nine top prizes of $200,000. Four top prizes remain.
Ticket sales from games like 20X The Cash made it possible for the lottery to raise more than $600 million dollars for the state last year. For details on how more than $331 million in lottery funds has made a difference in Wake County, click on the “For Education” section of the lottery’s website.