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Many people fantasize about winning the lottery and dreaming of what they will do with their prize, from retiring early and taking a vacation to launching their very own business. One man in North Carolina no longer has to wonder what it would be like to be a lottery winner — he is one.
"It's a game changer for me," said Kirk Nyberg Jr., of New Bern.
Nyberg purchased his lucky Mega Bucks ticket from the Speedway on N.C. 42 in Vanceboro after working all day in the son, according to a release from the NC Education Lottery. He stopped by the store to pick up some cigarettes but decided to also try his luck with the $5 scratch off ticket. The move proved to be a good choice as he ended up winning the $250,000 prize.
The 35-year-old construction worker claimed his prize on Thursday (August 18), bringing home a total of $177,526 after required state and federal tax withholdings. Nyberg told lottery officials he already has some ideas of how to spend his prize, starting with treating an important person in his life to something big.
"I want to buy my mom a new car," he said. "Probably a van for her grandkids."