Kenneth Skipper was ready to give up.
He wanted to buy a $20 scratchoff ticket for a chance at a $2 million prize, but when the card reader failed three times to take his payment, he figured that was a sign.
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The clerk at Circle V Mart on South McPherson Church Road in Fayetteville encouraged him to swipe again, the payment went through and Skipper was a winner.
Skipper said he sat in his car, stunned, for five minutes just staring at the ticket after he scratched it.
“I called my wife and told her, ‘I think I just won the lottery,’” Skipper said. “She started freaking out.”
Skipper said he then went back in the store to find the clerk who sold him the ticket.
“I pulled her to the side and said, ‘You’ve just changed my life,’” he said.
When Skipper claimed his prize at Raleigh lottery headquarters, he chose the lump sum option -- worth $1.2 million. After taxes, he took home $861,006.
He plans to use his winnings to pay bills and give to his church.