James Murry of Durham said his plan for that day involved playing golf but he changed his mind at the last minute. He bought a scratch-off ticket instead and became $1 million richer.
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"I really wasn't even supposed to be in that store that day," Murry said. "I guess the ticket was just sitting there waiting for me."
Murry of Durham said he checked his scratch-off ticket again and again on Thursday to make sure what he saw was real.
"I'm sitting there doing double, triple, quadruple takes," Murry told NC Lottery officials with a laugh. "I just looked at it and looked at it and looked at it."
It was no joke -- Murry had won a $1 million prize
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He bought his lucky $30 Millionaire Maker ticket from Buy & Go on Ephesus Church Road in Chapel Hill.
He scratched it in his truck in the parking lot and said it was "surreal."
Murry decided to take a lump-sum payment of $600,000 and after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $427,509.
He said he will use his winnings to do some investing.