Low on gas, NC man goes into store and picks out $10 million winning lottery ticket

Feb 18, 2021, 10:55 am (9 comments)

North Carolina Lottery

A North Carolina man is $10 million richer after the low-fuel light came on in his Silverado truck and he decided to fill up with gas, N.C. lottery officials said Wednesday.

Allen Boger of Lake Norman planned to stop at a different store to play a different lottery game Saturday morning, according to a lottery news release.

But the gas station where he stopped, the Lunar Mart on N.C. 16 in the eastern Lincoln County community of Denver, was closer to his home when the light came on, officials said. And the station was out of tickets in his favorite $20 scratch-off game, Boger later told lottery officials.

So for the first time, Boger plunked $30 down for a $10,000,000 Colossal Cash ticket, and became the fourth person to hit a $10 million jackpot in the game, officials said.

"It took a couple of twists of fate for this to happen," Boger told officials when he claimed his prize at lottery headquarters in Raleigh on Monday.

Boger, a car salesman, beat odds of 1 in 2.83 million, according to the lottery website.

"I've been lucky my whole life," Boger told lottery officials. "I'm lucky to win it."

He had the choice of an annual $500,000 annuity for 20 years or a $6 million lump sum. He chose the lump sum, netting $4.2 million after taxes, according to the lottery.

Boger plans pay off his bills and retire, living off his savings and investments, officials said.

Boger was just the latest in a streak of big lottery winners in the Charlotte-Lake Norman area.

On Friday, somebody in Mecklenburg County paid $2 for a ticket that hit a Mega Millions jackpot in Friday's national drawing, N.C. lottery officials said Saturday.

The mystery winner bought the ticket through Online Play on the lottery website.

On Feb. 2, lottery officials announced that Cheryl Ratliff of Wingate called her family in tears after scratching off a lottery ticket at work that hit a $4 million jackpot.

Ratliff won the last of three top $10,000 Loaded prizes, thereby ending the popular game that launched in October 2019, officials said.

In January, Christopher Martin of Newton became what was then the sixth big winner of a lottery prize with a ticket bought at a Lake Norman store.

Newton bought his winning $2 million ticket in the $20 "100X the Cash" ticket at Lake Norman Grocery on River Highway (N.C. 150 West), according to the lottery.

Charlotte Observer

Comments

s5thomps's avatars5thomps

Good thing he stopped for fuel when the light came on! Congrats!

Bleudog101

Quote: Originally posted by s5thomps on Feb 18, 2021

Good thing he stopped for fuel when the light came on! Congrats!

NCEL pays out another huge jackpot!  Congratulations to him and enjoy!

MzDuffleBaglady's avatarMzDuffleBaglady

PartyNice wins!

 

Congratulations!

HaveABall's avatarHaveABall

This is such endearing news to me!  This man's car's fuel light was a beacon announcing ready lottery winning scratch ticket stocked nearby!  This man received such a fine treasure during those moments of flexibility in routine of scratch ticket purchase!

White Bounce

noise-gate

Yes!

WorkerbyDay

It has been said that when opportunity knocks you must open the door.  Now it should include buy a lottery ticket when the fuel light goes on.

TheMeatman2005's avatarTheMeatman2005

Congrats on the win!

My theory on his good fortune is that him being a car salesman had a lot to do with it.

As a car salesman, you get to drive dealer cars.

He may not drive the same car all the time, so why fill up like you would your own personal car? You wait for the low fuel light to come on and throw in a gallon or two to take you where you have to go and then repeat the next time the light comes on.

Luckily for him, the light came on at the right moment!

MrLotto$

Good for you dude the Lord works in mysterious ways

partlycloudy07

Quote: Originally posted by TheMeatman2005 on Feb 20, 2021

Congrats on the win!

My theory on his good fortune is that him being a car salesman had a lot to do with it.

As a car salesman, you get to drive dealer cars.

He may not drive the same car all the time, so why fill up like you would your own personal car? You wait for the low fuel light to come on and throw in a gallon or two to take you where you have to go and then repeat the next time the light comes on.

Luckily for him, the light came on at the right moment!

LOL I'm in the car business as well 17 yrs finance manager maybe its b/c by nature we are gamblers I know a lot of car salesmen that play the numbers ,buy scratch off's and etc. The dealers keep enough gas to test drive cars most of the time your not allowed to drive them home maybe a franchise dealer will if you get into a tight spot (cash wise......which he doesn't have to worry about now lol ) .....where else can you go fresh out of high school and make 100+ a year not many places .....car business is either for you or not but you'll learn pdq whether or not your cut out for the job. Congrats to him that was a lucky break but good thing that gas light came on .......I trust the gauge that says 32 miles till empty and would have drove on back to the dealership lol ROFL

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