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Winning the lottery can result in a variety of emotions, ranging from being shocked speechless to jumping for joy. One man in North Carolina learned that he fell into the latter after he learned he hit the jackpot and won nearly $300,000.
Jason Matchett, of Clyde, stopped by the Gifts & Tobacco Barn on Carolina Boulevard on Thursday (February 3) and bought a $10 Jackpot 7's Fast Play ticket because he had a "hunch," according to a release from the NC Education Lottery. Apparently his instincts were dead-on, because he ended up overcoming the 1 in 240,000 odds and scoring the $293,690 jackpot. He told lottery officials he knew almost instantly that he had won.
"I was watching the screen while my ticket was printing out and I saw the jackpot go all the way back down so I knew I won. I started jumping up and down and screaming," Matchett said. He added, "I took a chance and, heck yeah, I won. This is life changing."
Matchett claimed his prize at lottery headquarters in Raleigh on Friday (February 4), taking home a grand total of $208,552 after all state and federal tax withholdings. According to lottery officials, he his plans of celebrating included buying a Range Rover.