Man Thought He Won Small Lottery Prize, but It Was Actually 6-Figures

A North Carolina man knew he won the lottery, he just didn’t realize how big his prize really was.

The happy saga started when Herminio Rivera, a man from Fayetteville, N.C., bought a $5 LOTERIA FIesta ticket from a local market, the NC Education Lottery stated in a press release. When he scanned his ticket, he was notified he needed to go to the state’s lottery headquarters to claim his prize money.

“I thought I won $2,000,” Rivera said with a laugh. “I was shocked.”

When Rivera arrived at the headquarters in Raleigh, he learned his prize was actually worth $150,000 — and after federal and state tax withholdings, he still took away $107,626.

Rivera won one of LOTERIA Fiesta’s top $150,000 prizes since the game’s debut in July. A fellow resident of the state also hit the jackpot, leaving four remaining top prizes still to be claimed.

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A lottery winner in Michigan got a similar shock this month. The 66-year-old man, who chose to remain anonymous, was giving a new game a try, but he ran into a hitch trying to claim his prize.

“I went back into the store and had the worker scan it. He handed me a slip that said to file a claim at the Lottery office,” the man said, “and that’s when I knew I just won $2 million!”

The Michigan man chose to receive his jackpot win in one lump sum of $1.3 million, rather than the full $2 million in annuity payments.

If you or someone you know is struggling with a gambling problem, please contact the National Problem Gambling Helpline Network at 1-800-522-4700 or go to gamtalk.org.