Halloween Luck Strikes for North Carolina Man with $123K Win
William Cox from Stedman, North Carolina, definitely had a touch of Halloween magic on his side when he scored a six-figure lottery win just days before the spooky holiday.
🎃 The lucky break: On October 24, Cox was playing his go-to digital instant game, The Lamp: Dark Arts, when he decided to throw in $5 toward the “Cadabra” jackpot. Moments later, his screen lit up — he’d snagged the middle-level progressive jackpot worth a jaw-dropping $123,503.
💫 “The dark arts always draw me back,” Cox joked to lottery officials, adding that he could hardly believe his luck. “I was like, ‘This is unbelievable. I’ve never won anything like this in my life.’”
Progressive jackpots like The Lamp: Dark Arts grow larger with every play until someone hits it big — and this time, it was Cox’s turn. The odds of winning? A staggering 1 in 6.4 million.
💵 After taxes, Cox took home $88,615, and he’s got wholesome plans for his prize — visiting his grandkids in Michigan and catching up on a few bills. “It was just the right place, right time,” he said with a smile.
For those curious, The Lamp: Dark Arts game starts at just 50 cents and can go up to $30 per play. After every jackpot win, it resets at $25,000 — ready for the next lucky player.
📍Stedman sits in southeastern North Carolina, about 150 miles east of Charlotte — but this small-town player’s story proves big wins can happen anywhere.
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