Brother’s advice leads to huge lottery win in North Carolina. ‘We hugged it out’
A man followed his brother’s advice — and it led to a huge lottery win in North Carolina.
“We hugged it out,” prize winner Patrick Kelly told the N.C. Education Lottery. “It was a good feeling.”
The siblings celebrated after Kelly scored a $100,000 prize. He doesn’t usually play scratch-off games but spent $20 on a ticket his brother recommended.
He listened to his brother on a trip to a Raceway gas station in Hickory, a roughly 55-mile drive northwest from Charlotte. While there, he tried his luck on the 100X the Cash game, lottery officials wrote in a June 23 news release.
Kelly was shocked to learn how much his ticket was worth.
“I was dumbfounded,” the lucky winner said.
Kelly, who lives in Hickory, kept $71,756 after taxes. Now, he plans to put his prize money toward investments and his student loans, according to lottery officials.
It’s not the first time someone’s advice has paid off. Another North Carolina lottery player listened to his mom and got a big “blessing,” McClatchy News reported in March.
This story was originally published June 24, 2025 at 5:48 AM with the headline "Brother’s advice leads to huge lottery win in North Carolina. ‘We hugged it out’."
