A $5 scratch-off purchase could lead to a new house for Bryan Lofton of Greensboro after he uncovered a $200,000 prize.
“This comes at the perfect time for us,” Lofton said. “We are currently in the middle of searching for a home to buy.”
Lofton, 39, said he just moved to Greensboro several months ago from Maryland with his wife and kids.
“I already liked it here but I’m definitely loving North Carolina now,” he said. “This is just icing on the cake.”
Lofton bought his lucky Lincoln ticket from the Sheetz on U.S. 29 North in Greensboro.
“My heart was racing,” Lofton recalled. “I read it like 50 times to make sure.”
He said he immediately called his wife to tell her the good news.
“She didn’t believe me at first because I’m a prankster,” he said. “I’m always playing jokes on her.”
Lofton claimed his prize Friday at lottery headquarters and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $142,021.
He said in addition to his new home, he would use the money to pay some bills.
The Lincoln game debuted in September as a part of the Cash family of games with six $200,000 prizes. Three $200,000 prizes remain to be claimed.
Ticket sales from scratch-off games make it possible for the lottery to raise $2.5 million a day on average for education. For details on how $33.2 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Guilford County in 2021, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.