Chester Williams of Cary won $230,073 in the first second-chance drawing ever to feature a rolling jackpot.
“You better believe in second chances,” Williams said.
Williams, a 57-year-old maintenance worker, won the jackpot in Wednesday’s Carolina Jackpot second-chance drawing.
“Man, I almost had a heart attack,” Williams said laughing. “My heart was pounding so hard.”
Williams arrived at lottery headquarters Friday and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $163,375.
“This is going to help us out a whole lot,” Williams said.
He said he would like to use his winnings to do some car repairs, help out his family, and go on a beach vacation with his wife.
His win occurred in the first of five drawings in the Carolina Jackpot second-chance promotion. His entry was picked from more than 9.5 million entries.
Players get a second chance with their Carolina Jackpot tickets by scanning the tickets into their lottery accounts where they are automatically entered into the next drawing. The game’s rolling jackpot continues to grow with every entry until the next second-chance drawing.
The first four drawings feature the rolling jackpot and the fifth drawing features a top prize of $200,000. The date of the second drawing is July 27.
Ticket sales from scratch-off games make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $900 million per year for education. For details on how $65.1 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Wake County in 2021, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.