Jordan Barnes of Ocean Isle Beach had trouble expressing how much his $100,000 scratch-off win meant to him.
“I’m really just kind of at a loss for words right now,” he said.
Barnes, a 27-year-old contractor, purchased his $30 Millionaire Maker ticket from Minuteman Food Mart on Beach Drive Southwest in Ocean Isle Beach.
“I just got lucky I guess,” Barnes said. “I can do a lot of different things with that money.”
Barnes collected his prize at lottery headquarters Friday and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $71,259.
“I’m still kind of living in the moment,” he said.
Barnes said he is a huge sports fan and, in addition to putting some of his winnings into investments, he wants to use some of the money to attend sporting events.
“My favorite baseball team is the Red Sox so it would definitely be fun to go back to Boston to see them play,” he said. “I also love the Tar Heels and would love to go to a UNC Duke game.”
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 $5.9 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Brunswick County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.