Lottery win means Cary man can “relax a litle”

A Cary man won a $175,000 lottery the same day he lost his job.

Six days before Christmas, Wladyslaw Krawiec, a carpenter, went to work earlier in the day, only to be told to go home.

“My boss said there was no more work for us, so I picked up my tools, left the job site and drove home,” Krawiec said in a statement.

On the way home, Krawiec asked God for “a little bit of help” and stopped at a gas station to check his Lucky Day Lotto ticket from the previous night’s drawing.

As it turned out, his ticket matched all five numbers — 1-2-8-29-36 — which meant he was a winner.

“We won! We won!” Krawiec told his wife over the phone. “It’s so exciting, and this lottery win means some security. It means I can relax a little.”

Krawiec bought his Quick Pick ticket at a convenience store in downtown Chicago, which received a $1,750 bonus for selling the winning ticket, Illinois Lottery officials said.

Krawiec said he likes to buy his tickets in different places rather than patronizing the same place because he feels that increases his luck.

Lucky Day Lotto jackpots start at $100,000 and drawings take place every day. There are more than 35,000 winners every day, according to Illinois Lottery officials.

Several have come from Cary, according to a Lottery spokeswoman.

Last week, a $10,000 winning Lucky Start instant ticket was sold by Thornton Gas and Food Mart, in Cary and a $10,000 winning Crossword ticket was sold in October at 7-Eleven in Cary.

Krawiec said he plans to invest his winnings.