Texas lottery player turns losing scratch ticket into dream home

May 18, 2015, 9:06 am (14 comments)

Texas Lottery

Includes video report

By Todd Northrop

Carlos Zavala of Tyler, Texas, is the winner of $500,000 to build a dream home at any D.R. Horton Community in Texas, thanks to his selection of a key in a special event Friday.

Players of the Texas Dream Home scratch-off game had the opportunity to enter their non-winning tickets into promotional second-chance drawings for a chance to become a finalist for the grand prize. Four finalists were chosen to participate in Friday's dream home giveaway event.

Each finalist selected a key and Zavala's key was the only one to open a door, revealing that he had won a brand new home.

The event was hosted by lifestyle guru, Steve Kemble at the Reserve at Westridge a D. R. Horton community in McKinney.

Zavala will receive $500,000 plus $166,665 (paid to the IRS for federal withholding taxes) for a total prize of $666,665, which can be used to purchase a D.R. Horton home.

The Texas Dream Home scratch-off game generated $35.2 million in sales and an estimated $7 million in revenue for public education in Texas.

VIDEO: Watch the event

Lottery Post Staff

Comments

Technut's avatarTechnut

Congratulations Carlos Zavala on your big second chance win.

lothob's avatarlothob

Wow! That's winning! Love that there was the $166k to the IRS kicked in as well!

maringoman's avatarmaringoman

This is nice

hearsetrax's avatarhearsetrax

Skeptical should be most curious as to how close he comes to his dream home with that much

IPlayWeekly's avatarIPlayWeekly

While big time congrats, I hope he doesn't go overboard.  He should factor in the maintenance cost.

Lynn-Lynn's avatarLynn-Lynn

Congratulations

music*'s avatarmusic*

 This is a heart warming start of the week.  Congratulations Carlos !!

zephbe's avatarzephbe

That is a great second chance prize!  Congratulations to the winner Smile

mypiemaster's avatarmypiemaster

Quote: Originally posted by hearsetrax on May 18, 2015

Skeptical should be most curious as to how close he comes to his dream home with that much

His dream home might just be a $200,000.00 home. You never know with people anymore.

shadowlady's avatarshadowlady

Congrats to Carlos!

 

But I do wonder if I had won, how much it would cost me to have them build a Hobbit Hole (before  and after the LOTR movies, I have wanted a hobbit hole for a house.  Big Smile  )  And whether it would violate covenents.

hearsetrax's avatarhearsetrax

Quote: Originally posted by shadowlady on May 18, 2015

Congrats to Carlos!

 

But I do wonder if I had won, how much it would cost me to have them build a Hobbit Hole (before  and after the LOTR movies, I have wanted a hobbit hole for a house.  Big Smile  )  And whether it would violate covenents.

Green laugh  from a brief search of the www at large the cheapest was about $5k  

dallascowboyfan's avatardallascowboyfan

Congratulations Carlos!!!!! Thumbs Up

wizeguy's avatarwizeguy

Congrats on your lucky win, Carlos!

VenomV12

The best part is that they paid the IRS vampires so you don't have to sell the house if you don't want to. $500,000 in Texas will get you one heck of a house. 

End of comments
Subscribe to this news story