Raleigh man ‘accidentally’ wins $177K prize in online lottery game

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — Alphonzo Oates of Raleigh plans to give his daughter one awesome Christmas gift after he “accidentally” won $177,749 while playing a North Carolina Education Lottery digital instant game.

“I thought I was playing in demo mode,” Oates laughed. “It surprised the heck out of me.”

He said he will use part of his winnings to make sure his daughter can graduate from college debt-free

“I can use this to pay off my daughter’s last year of college,” he said. “That will be her Christmas gift.”

Oates played a $1 ticket on Oct. 31 and won the top-level “Epic jackpot” in the Wheel of Bonuses game, a digital instant game featuring a progressive jackpot that can be won at any time. The odds of that win are 1 in 31 million.

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Oates said he likes playing Wheel of Bonuses when he has some free time.

“It’s just a fun way to pass the time,” Oates said.

And sometimes a profitable way, too.

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Oates claimed his prize Friday at lottery headquarters and, after required federal and state tax withholdings, took home $127,092.

“I’m glad that my daughter will be able to graduate debt-free,” Oates said. “It’s a happy moment.”

In the Wheel of Bonuses digital instant game, a player can play from 50 cents to $30. After Oates won the jackpot, it restarted at $50,000 and grew to more than $197,000 as of Friday afternoon.

Digital instant games are played exclusively online on the lottery’s website or on the NC Lottery Official Mobile App. Thirty-three different games are available to play online.