North Carolina Man Uses Found Money To Win Lottery

I am certain not shy about admitting I'm addicted to great lottery stories. And let's face it, any lottery win is a good story, but in the case of Banner Elk's Jerry Hicks, the details behind his windfall are nothing short of amazing.

Hicks is a carpenter by trade and happened to be in a convenience store parking lot when he looked down and discovered a $20 bill just lying there at his feet. I imagine the first move he had was one we all would: you look around to see if someone is walking away from that spot that could have possibly dropped the cash. And if no one is there? Found money is found money. Jerry Hicks next move is what makes him legendary.

Hicks took the found money and said, "Well, lemme see if I can find some REAL found money." He took the twenty spot and invested in an Extreme Cash Scratch Off from the North Carolina Education Lottery. Hang on, it gets better. Hicks only bought THAT ticket because the Speedway didn't have the one he wanted.

Next thing you know ol Jerry's a millionaire! And what to do with this newfound fortune? Quote of the year from the NCEL website, “We are going to head straight to Golden Corral and eat everything they’ve got.” GAWD I LOVE THAT!

Seriously, Jerry Hicks (56) took the lump sum payout (good call, IMHO) and plans to retire and help his kids with the money.

There are some states that are luckier than others. There is no doubt about it. North Carolina made the list of 15 lucky states in the United States, according to OLBG. Everyone has fantasized about winning the lottery, whether it's the Mega Millions or the Powerball. Whether you're planning a lavish vacation, buying a house, treating a loved one, giving to charity, or all of the above, when we buy a ticket we always have a little bit of hope and our imaginations go wild when we hear about the unclaimed winning ticket...

When it comes to winning big on the lottery, which states are the luckiest? To determine where in America has the greatest likelihood of winning the big bucks, OLBG analyzed all lottery winners in the U.S. with a jackpot of $300 million or more. You can see the top 15 states below.

California was ranked 12th luckiest state despite having the highest number of big lottery winners, primarily because the state has such a large population that there are very few lottery winners, and the average winning ticket for a California winner is only $190.5 million.

North Carolina has won a whopping $1.1 billion between both lottery winners, making its average winning ticket $550 million, the highest in the country. As a result of its higher population, North Carolina didn't quite capture the title by itself, with a lower percentage of its population winning than New Hampshire.

In terms of lottery jackpot winners, New Hampshire and North Carolina share the gold for the luckiest states. Residents in New Hampshire have won a total of $693.7 million, which is an average of $346.85 million per winning ticket. As one of the states with the highest percentage of people who have won over $300 million, New Hampshire has the third smallest population.