Donzell Williamson Jr. of Willow Spring tried his luck on a 20X The Cash scratch-off ticket and walked away the winner of a $250,000 top prize.

Williamson bought his lucky ticket at Jimmy’s Food Mart on N.C. 42 East in Willow Spring on April 23rd. “I stopped for gas and there were a few bucks left over,” he said. “So I thought, let me try a couple tickets after I fill up my tank.”

He took home two $5 tickets. “The second ticket I scratched, I couldn’t believe it,” Williamson recalled. “I said, ‘Wow! I must not be looking at this thing right.’ I was really surprised, but it was a pleasant surprise.”

Williamson showed his wife the winning ticket. “We were both in a state of shock at that point,” he said. “I’m still smiling from ear to ear.”

Williamson claimed his prize Wednesday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After federal and state tax withholdings, he took home $176,876.

He plans to pay off some bills and his mortgage with his winnings.

All Multiply the Cash games can also be entered into second-chance drawings on the lottery’s website. Prizes in the drawing include one $100,000 cash prize, eight $5,000 cash prizes, and 25 $500 cash prizes.

The entry deadline for the second of four 2020 Multiply The Cash second-chance drawings is May 31 and the drawing is scheduled for June 3.

Ticket sales from scratch-offs make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $700 million per year for education. For details on how $62.6 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Wake County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on he “Impact” section.