Eddie Odom of Greensboro, a James Bond fan, says he was feeling lucky when he bought a $5 JAMES BOND 007™ ticket and won the game’s $200,000 top prize.
“Your hands are itching, you’re feeling lucky so you just buy some tickets,” said Odom after claiming his prize last week at lottery headquarters.
Odom, an office manager, said one reason he bought the ticket at Om Groceries on Randleman Road was that he likes James Bond movies. He discovered his good luck later at his sister’s house and said they were “both shocked to death.”
After required federal and state tax withholdings, Odom took home $141,501. He said he planned to catch up on a couple of bills and look for a house to buy.
JAMES BOND 007™ launched in April with four top prizes of $200,000. Two top prizes remain to be won.
Players can enter their JAMES BOND 007™ tickets into second-chance drawings to win a VIP trip for two to Las Vegas. Six trips can be won in three drawings, which include round-trip airfare to Las Vegas, four nights of deluxe accommodations and tickets to the JAMES BOND Lottery Challenge, where up to $1 million can be won. The entry deadline for the first drawing is May 31.
Ticket sales from scratch-off games make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $700 million a year for education. For details on how $31.9 million made a difference in Guildford County last year, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website, www.nclottery.com.