What does it feel like to win $150,000 solving a crossword puzzle? Ask Kenith Wilson of Hickory who did just that on Tuesday by putting together 10 words on the Extra Play Cashword scratch-off game.
“You put those words together, next thing you know you got ‘em all,” said Wilson. “I’m just overjoyed with it!”
Wilson bought his winning ticket when he stopped for gas at the NAND Express located on Main Street West in Valdese. He claimed his prize at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After federal and state tax withholdings he took home $106,126.
At 83 years old, he says he “may do a vacation at Myrtle Beach” and give the rest of the money to friends and family.
“You can’t take it with you,” said Wilson.
The $5 ticket launched Tuesday with three top prizes of $150,000. Two of them remain to be won.
Ticket sales from scratch-off games like Extra Play Cashword make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $700 million a year for education. For details on how lottery funds have made a difference in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website.