Twin brothers Ibrahim and Saher Mubarek of Durham are celebrating together after winning $200,000 playing All About The Bens.
“This feels awesome!” said Ibrahim.
The brothers, 18, recently completed their first year as undergraduates at UNC-Chapel Hill. They were enjoying their summer break when they stopped at the Academy Quick Stop on Academy Road in Durham to buy the lucky $5 ticket.
“We weren’t really thinking about it,” said Ibrahim. “We’ve bought maybe a handful of tickets since we turned eighteen. We were driving and saw the store and just decided to buy a ticket together.”
The twins were at home when they scratched the ticket to reveal the top prize of $200,000.
“I had to keep looking at the ticket,” said Ibrahim. “I didn’t believe people really won.”
Ibrahim and Saher claimed their prize Monday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required federal and state withholdings, the brothers took home $141,501.
“We’re not sure what we’re going to do with the money yet,” said Ibrahim. “Probably because we are still in shock!”
“This is just so amazing,” said Saher. “We might travel. We want to plan a trip to Turkey or Greece.”
All About The Bens launched this month with four top prizes of $200,000. The Mubarek brothers won the first top prize. Three more top prizes remain to be claimed.
Ticket sales from games like All About The Bens make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $650 million a year for education. For details on how $13.8 million in lottery funds made a difference in Durham County last year, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website.