Fayetteville man accidentally bought 2 identical lottery tickets -- and won 2 jackpots

FAYETTEVILLE. N.C. (WTVD) -- A Fayetteville man accidentally won the same lottery twice, doubling his jackpot and taking home more than half a million dollars.

Dump truck operator Scotty Thomas, 49, wasn't sure if he had bought a ticket for the upcoming Lucky for Life lottery drawing, so he went online, paid his $2 and picked his numbers.

"I was just laying in bed watching a basketball game on TV and I couldn't remember if I filled it out or not," said Thomas, according to the North Carolina Education Lottery.

Turns out, Thomas had already bought the same $2 ticket for the same Lucky for Life drawing.

Fortunately for him, his flub was actually a blessing in disguise. That's because his numbers hit.

Thomas matched all 5 of the white balls, meaning he won the drawing's second highest prize: $25,000 each year for the rest of his life--or in this case, since he picked the same numbers on two different tickets, $50,000 a year.

"When I realized I won, I had to lay down on the floor because I really just couldn't believe it," Thomas said. "It's just a blessing."

Thomas opted for a lump sum of $780,000 for both tickets instead of annual payments, according to the lottery, saying he wanted to invest in his business, pay off bills, help his family and perhaps buy a house.

After taxes, he netted $551,851, the lottery said.

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