GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — A Gastonia man’s soda quest turned into a six-figure windfall when he added a lottery ticket to his Sunday shopping trip and won $114,614.
Albert Clinton Jr. purchased a $2 Bingo Bucks Fast Play ticket at the S’Mart on Bessemer City Road while buying Shirley Temple-flavored 7-Up.
“We went there to get the Shirley Temple 7-Ups,” Clinton said with a laugh.
At the time of his purchase, the progressive jackpot stood at $573,070. Because Clinton bought a $2 ticket rather than a higher-priced option, he received 20% of the total jackpot.
“It was an unreal feeling,” Clinton said.
He claimed his prize Thursday at North Carolina Education Lottery headquarters. After required state and federal tax withholdings, he took home $82,236.
Clinton said he plans to use the winnings to pay bills and celebrate the holidays with his family.
“The holidays are here,” he said.
Fast Play is a lottery game featuring an instantly growing jackpot that increases with every ticket sold until someone wins. As of Thursday afternoon, the jackpot had climbed to more than $495,000.
The North Carolina Education Lottery raised $14.2 million for education programs in Gaston County last year, according to the lottery’s website.
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