After almost 20 years of working in construction, Wilson Amaya of Selma can finally start his own business thanks to a $100,000 lottery prize.
“I’m going to save the money first,” Amaya said. “But I want to open my own construction company.”
Amaya’s good fortune happened after he bought a $5,000,000 Mega Cash scratch-off ticket at the Market & Cafe on N.C. 96 in Selma.
“I couldn’t believe it when I won,” Amaya said. “My wife and I started jumping up and down.”
He claimed his prize Monday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required state and federal tax withholdings, he took home $69,507.
Amaya is the first to win one of six $100,000 prizes. The game also has three $5 million prizes and six $1 million prizes.
Ticket sales from games like $5,000,000 Mega Cash made it possible for the lottery to raise more than $634 million for the state last year. For details on how lottery funds have made a difference in Johnston County, click on the “For Education” section of the lottery’s website.