$5 scratch-off wins a quarter of a million dollars for man in Gaston County

DALLAS, N.C. — A machinist from Gaston County is hoping he’ll be able to retire a little earlier thanks to winning big off of a $5 scratch-off lottery ticket.

Paul Cobler, Jr., bought a Mega Bucks Limited Edition ticket from Walmart on Northwest Boulevard in Newton and he took it home to scratch it while watching TV, according to a news release from the North Carolina Education Lottery.

Cobler’s small ticket paid off big, winning a $250,000 prize. He went to the lottery headquarters on Monday and took home $178,126 after state and federal taxes.

The lucky winner told lottery officials he planned on using the winnings to pay off his house and car, and save for retirement.

“Hopefully from here on out, it will be an earlier retirement than I was expecting,” Cobler said.

The lottery says Cobler won the last $250,000 prize available from the Mega Bucks Limited Edition game, so now it will be phased out.

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