Wife refused to fall for husband’s NC lottery prank — but he was telling truth

A father of four stopped for gas at a North Carolina convenience store and walked out with a Coke and a lottery ticket worth six figures.

However, Kyle Brogden says his wife wasn’t the least excited when he told her the news by phone, according to a release from the N.C. Education Lottery.

“She thought I was pranking her,” he said.

His Red Hot Slots ticket cost $5 and was worth $200,000, which is top prize in the month-old game, lottery officials said. He bought it at the Murphy Express in Oxford, which is about a 50-mile drive north of Raleigh.

Odds of winning the game’s top prize are 1 in 1,461,660.

“It was insane,” he said. “This is life-changing money.”

Brogden didn’t reveal how he convinced his wife it wasn’t all a joke, but she had no choice but believe when he came home with a boatload of money.

“She was ecstatic,” Brogden said.

He cashed in the ticket Friday, May 31, at lottery headquarters in Raleigh and the prize came to $143,001 after taxes, officials said.

Brogden is considering investing the bulk of the cash, but there’s also this dream he has had for years. It could finally come true with $143,001.

“I’ve always wanted to open up my own gym,” he said.

This story was originally published June 4, 2024 at 11:27 AM with the headline "Wife refused to fall for husband’s NC lottery prank — but he was telling truth."