Mysterious fortune cookie message leads to North Carolina man's $200,000 lottery win

A North Carolina man won the lottery after a cryptic message inside a fortune cookie inspired him to buy a ticket.

John Carter, from Trinity, won $200,000 after purchasing a $5 scratch-off ticket for the NC Education Lottery. Recalling why he purchased the winning ticket, he told lottery officials: “We had Chinese food last night and we got a fortune cookie that said, ‘Don’t miss out on your chance to win big'."

The lottery winner took the cookie's advice and went to Hillsville Country Mart on Hillsville Road in Trinity to buy a Pot of Gold scratch-off. “I was thinking the fortune cookie was a sign,” John said. “It had to be fate.”

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John wasted no time in learning his fate as he scratched the ticket there and then in the store. “I started seeing zero, zero, zero,” he recalled. “I thought, ‘This has got to be a dream.’”

He claimed his prize at lottery headquarters on Thursday. After state and federal taxes John walked away with $143,001.

He revealed he intends to use some of the money to pay bills as well as to buy a boat to use for fishing. The Pot of Gold game launched in December with four top prizes of $200,000.

John won the final top prize, meaning the lottery will now being the process of ending the game. John's win comes as a Massachusetts man also won the lottery after receiving a mysterious message in another way.

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Howard Kendall Jr appeared to have an incredible premonition in his sleep that would see him become a millionaire. The lottery winner, from Plymouth, told the Massachusetts State Lottery that the night before his big win he'd dreamt that he'd bought a Diamonds ticket.

The next day, Howard went and purchased a “$4,000,000 Diamonds” $10 instant ticket game. Lo and behold his dream paid off - literally - and he won a $1million prize. Howard chose to claim his prize in a one-time payment and walked away with $650,000 before taxes. He revealed he plans to use his newfound fortune to help out his children and grandkids.