Fruit drinks are often thought to be good for one’s health, however it turns out that a carton of orange juice can also increase one’s wealth greatly. This was true, at least for a North Carolina woman who stopped at a random gas station to get juice and left with a $250,000 award. Kelly Spahr won gold with her $20 Merry Multiplier scratch-off ticket, which she purchased as an afterthought.
A Fruitful Investment
Spahr bought her scratch-off ticket at the Quality Mart on Piney Grove Road in Kernersville. While many people buy tickets out of habit or because they are feeling lucky, Spahr had a more unusual purpose. “When I was at the gas station, I saw that there were new tickets out, so I decided to try them,” Spahr informed lottery authorities.
According to a press release, the Christmas aspect of the ticket, particularly the “folding part on it,” grabbed her attention. Spahr won $178,756 after state and federal taxes, according to the N.C. Education Lottery.
Spahr outperformed the odds of one in 617,040 to claim the top prize. “It’s nice to know that big wins like this really do happen,” she told me. According to the news announcement, today was the first day that Merry Multiplier tickets were available for purchase.
For $20, players receive “a booklet of five scratch-off tickets,” each of which provides them a chance to win the main prize of $250,000 as well as a second opportunity to win in another drawing scheduled for February 5, 2025. Spahr stated that the major triumph is very important to her family and has “opened some more doors” for them.
This is not the first time a box of orange juice resulted in a huge lotto prize. Back in 2018, a man from New Jersey won a stunning $315 million reward after returning some orange juice. The lucky winner, Tayeb Souami, was following his wife’s instructions to save money by returning the pricey juice cartons.
However, when he noticed the lottery ticket booth and saw the Powerball jackpot, he was enthralled by the guaranteed prize. At the time, the 56-year-old accountant was significantly in debt and struggling to provide for his family. According to The Washington Post, the man’s wife forced him to return the orange juice, which was cheaper in other stores.
However, after discovering the $306 million jackpot, Souami used her funds to purchase Powerball tickets at the grocery shop. “I like the number,” he stated during the news conference. He then purchased two tickets and quietly returned home.
The next day, Soami was reminded of the tickets when he saw a 7-Eleven store at a traffic light. After checking, he discovered he had won the $315 million Powerball prize. He chose the lump sum figure, and the couple received $183 million in cash after taxes.