Ronnie and Sandy Lambert of Henderson said they plan to get their dream truck after they played the Jumbo Bucks scratch-off game and won $750,000.
“I’ve never had a brand new truck,” said Ronnie, who works at a glass factory. “I’ve wanted one for a long time. I’m going to get a red Toyota Tundra.”
They also plan to pay off their mortgage and save for retirement.
The glass maker bought the $10 ticket when he stopped by Raleigh Road Convenient Mart on Raleigh Road in Henderson on his way home from work. He took the ticket out to his truck and scratched it. When he found out he won, he ran back into the store and started jumping around.
“It was great,” Ronnie said. “I was crying like a little baby. I was crying and shaking and everything. I couldn’t talk, I was scared to drive home. I was like ‘Oh my God! This is it. This is it.”
When Ronnie got home, he woke up his wife to share the good news.
“He told me, ‘Baby, wake up! We done hit the lottery,’” Sandy said. “I couldn’t believe it.”
They claimed their prize Monday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required state and federal tax withholdings, they took home $528,760.
Jumbo Bucks launched in January 2018 with eight top prizes of $750,000. Five top prizes remain.
Ticket sales from games like Jumbo Bucks make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $600 million a year for education. For details on how $2.5 million in lottery funds made a difference in Vance County last year, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website at www.nclottery.com.