Imagine strolling through a parking lot and stumbling upon a bit of cash. That would be enough to make most of us think: “Well, this is my lucky day!”
One man in the United States (US) decided to take that luck a step further — and boy, did it pay off.
On 22 Oct, carpenter Jerry Hicks picked up a US$20 bill (around S$26) from the pavement outside a convenience store in Boone, North Carolina.
He then went inside and purchased an Extreme Cash scratch-off ticket, choosing that one because the store didn’t have the ticket he originally wanted.
Source: BanksPhotos on Canva, for illustration purposes only
That ticket turned out to be worth a whopping US$1 million (S$1.3 million).
According to the North Carolina Education Lottery, Mr Hicks collected his winnings at its headquarters on Friday (25 Oct).
He chose to receive a lump sum of US$600,000 (S$793,500) instead of the annual payment option of US$50,000 (S$66,000) over 20 years.
After state and federal taxes were deducted, he still walked away with an impressive US$429,007 (S$567,000).
With his newfound riches, he already has a tasty plan in mind.
“We are going to head straight to Golden Corral and eat everything they’ve got,” he said, excited about indulging at the all-you-can-eat buffet chain.
It doesn’t stop there — after 56 years of hard work, Mr Hicks is ready to retire and plans to use some of the cash to help out his children.
Also read: Man in US wins S$296K in lottery after picking the same numbers for 10 years
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Featured image adapted from BanksPhotos on Canva and welcomia on Canva, for illustration purposes only.