Cherokee County man wins $200K from $5 scratch-off ticket

    Murphy – A local man who won $200,000 playing the lottery plans to invest in real estate.
    “I’m not sure where yet; it depends on the economy,” 26-year-old Jess Nichols told the Cherokee Scout.
    Nichols, who moved to the area from out of state a couple years ago, won the money playing a $5 scratch-off ticket he purchased at the Fastop convenience store on U.S. 64 West. He recently claimed the prize at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After federal and state withholdings, he’ll receive $141,501.
    “This is the first major [win],” Nichols said while explaining that he periodically buys scratch-off tickets from various places in Cherokee County. “It’s fun to do a scratch-off here and there.”
    Nichols said he’s still contemplating whether to invest in commercial or residential real estate. In the meantime, he plans to pay a few bills.
    Nichols won the prize playing Emerald Green 8s scratch-off tickets, which went on sale last month. Lottery officials say two top prizes of $200,000 remain up for grabs.
    Officials say more than $16 million in money raised by the lottery supplanted education funding in Cherokee County last year, including $15 million in school construction funds to help provide space for the Schools of Innovation project, which puts Tri-County Early College High School, the vocational career academy and The Oaks Academy alternative school on one campus adjacent to Tri-County Community College in Peachtree.