NC man claims $1.8M lottery jackpot. Here’s the story behind his ‘best Thanksgiving’

A Raleigh man has 1.8 million more reasons to be grateful this holiday season as he claims the latest North Carolina Education Lottery jackpot.

On Monday, the North Carolina Lottery announced that Matthew Huber of Raleigh had claimed $1.8 million — one of the largest jackpots in state history.

Just before heading to Thanksgiving dinner, Huber bought a $1 Quick Pick ticket through the lottery’s online play system, the N.C. Education Lottery reported in a news release.

His ticket entered him into the third largest jackpot in the game’s history.

“We don’t really play a lot, but we saw the Cash 5 jackpot going higher,” Huber said in a statement from lottery officials.

On Friday morning, lottery organizers announced that there had been a winner of the Thanksgiving Day drawing, and Huber was alerted that he had won.

“I thought I was still recovering from stuffing myself at Thanksgiving dinner,” Huber said, according to a news release from the N.C. Education Lottery. “I had to check twice.”

After taxes, Huber took home over $1.3 million, which he plans to save and invest with the hope of helping others in the future.

“It was mind blowing,” Huber said. “I thought, ‘Oh my gosh!’ and then I called my wife over to look. It is something you never expect to see, but hope to see. It’s phenomenal, the best Thanksgiving.”

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