Ian Lynch of Charlotte said he plans to give his kids a special surprise for the holidays after a $100,816 Fast Play jackpot win.
“I told them their dad has a little blessing for them,” Lynch said. “You bless the people around you who have blessed you along the way.”
Lynch, 54, bought his $5 Holiday Luck ticket on Tuesday night from Royal Stop on Eastway Drive in Charlotte.
“I chose the Holiday Luck ticket because it’s the holiday season,” he said. “And I guess I was lucky.”
The Fast Play rolling jackpot grows with every ticket purchased. When Lynch bought his ticket, the jackpot just reached $201,632. Because he bought a $5 ticket, he won 50 percent of the jackpot.
“I was so nervous I couldn’t sleep last night,” he said.
Lynch arrived at lottery headquarters Wednesday to collect his prize and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $71,591.
He said he will use his winnings to give back to his family and travel to see them over the holidays.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Fast Play jackpot was $108,000 and growing. The odds of winning a Fast Play jackpot are 1 in 320,000.
Ticket sales from games such as Fast Play make it possible for the lottery to raise $2.5 million a day on average for education. For details on how $61.8 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Mecklenburg County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.