Goldsboro man wins $1 million in lottery
By From staff reports
Published in News on November 5, 2013 1:46 PM
Dean Thompson came home from work Saturday morning with a big surprise for his wife.
Thompson, who works as a supervisor at a Kinston food manufacturing company, bought a pair of Gold Bullion lottery tickets at Murphy Express on West Vernon Avenue after the end of his shift.
And when he got back into his truck and scratched the tickets to read the numbers, he got the surprise of his life.
He had won $1 million.
Thompson said that the lucky strike means he and his wife will be able to do something they have wanted to do for years.
"I'm going to buy my wife a house," Thompson said Monday as he collected his prize at state Education Lottery headquarters in Raleigh.
Thompson said he bought the tickets on a whim.
"I couldn't believe it," Thompson said. "I had to sit there awhile, looking at it. Then I drove home and showed my wife the ticket."
In the game, winners of the $1 million prize can choose to accept it as an annuity paying $50,000 a year for 20 years or take a lump sum payment of $600,000.
Thompson said he chose the lump sum because he wanted to buy the house and pay off all his bills. After taxes were withheld, he received $408,006.
Thompson said he would also use some of his winnings to help the couple's two grown daughters and perhaps take a short vacation.
As of Monday afternoon, one $4 million top prize, three $1 million prizes and two $100,000 top prizes remain to be claimed in the $4,000,000 Gold Bullion game.
Since the state lottery was instituted in 2005, Wayne County has received more than $36 million in proceeds in lottery funds to use for school construction, teacher salaries, pre-kindergarten funding, scholarships and financial aid for students.
Tickets sales for instant games have helped the lottery raise more than $3 billion to support education programs across the state.