North Carolina Man Wins 'Early Birthday Present' With $100K Lottery Prize

A man in North Carolina was surprised with an early birthday present after landing a massive win from a scratch-off lottery ticket.

Jack Romans Jr. , of Calabash, recently stopped by the RM Mart on Seaside Road Southwest in Sunset Beach where he purchased a ticket for the $2,000,000 Diamond Deluxe game, according to a release from the NC Education Lottery . After scratching the ticket, he learned that he was the lucky winner of one of the game's $100,000 prizes, a win that came at the perfect time too.

"It's my birthday in a week. This is a nice early birthday present ," he said, adding of his win, "I guess I was just in the right place at the right time."

Romans claimed his prize at lottery headquarters on Friday (May 10), taking home a grand total of $71,506 after all required state and federal tax withholdings. According to lottery officials, the avid golfer already has big plans for his winnings.

"I'm going to get a new set of irons," he said, adding that he also plans to use some of his prize to pay bills.

According to the lottery website, the $2,000,000 Diamond Deluxe game launched in December with four top prizes of $2 million and eight $100,000 prizes. Following Romans' win, five of the $100,000 prizes remain to be claimed as do three of the $2 million prizes.