Burlington Reporter

If at first you don’t win, you’ve got a second chance when you play some lottery games in North Carolina.

That second chance paid off for a Burlington man.

Alan Cheek was out of state recently, but when he returned home, he found out he had won $286,845 through a second-chance drawing. 

“I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s quite a surprise,’” Cheek said on the N.C. Education Lottery website this week. “I had to let it sink in over the weekend.” 

Second-chance drawings involve a “rolling jackpot,” which offers a winning amount that goes up based on the number of people who play. His number came up in the Sept. 14 drawing. 

“I went through all the emotions,” Cheek said. “I’ve been working on some projects, so this makes decisions easier.” 

He plans to use part of his winnings to continue with some of the remodeling projects he has in mind for his home.

After required state and federal tax withdrawals were subtracted, Cheek took home $203,689. 

Players get a second chance with their Carolina Jackpot tickets by scanning the tickets into their lottery accounts, where the tickets are automatically entered into the next drawing, the website said. The drawing’s rolling jackpot continues to grow with every entry until the next second-chance drawing.