‘I finally hit the big one.’ Popular NC lottery game ends after man scores jackpot.
A North Carolina man “started bawling” after he scored a $3 million jackpot on a scratch-off ticket at a Charlotte convenience store, N.C. lottery officials said.
“It was a happy cry though,” 47-year-old Shelby resident John Turner said when he claimed his prize at lottery headquarters in Raleigh Friday, according to a lottery news release.
Turner bought his $30 Fabulous Fortune ticket at Kangaroo Express on Mallard Creek Road, officials said.
He scratched the ticket in the parking lot and couldn’t believe his luck at first.
He beat odds of 1 in 4.14 million, according to the Fabulous Fortune game page on NCLottery.com.
“My mind was going like 100 miles per hour,” he said. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’ve done it. I finally hit the big one.’”
Turner could choose between a $150,000 annuity over 20 years and a $1.8 million lump sum. He chose the lump sum and took home nearly $1.3 million after taxes, officials said.
He’ll pay off his car, share some of his win with family and invest the rest, Turner told lottery officials.
Fabulous Fortune offered six $3 million prizes and 18 $100,000 prizes when the game started in July.
Turner hit the last available jackpot, so lottery officials said they’ll now end the game.
This story was originally published April 29, 2023 at 9:00 AM with the headline "‘I finally hit the big one.’ Popular NC lottery game ends after man scores jackpot.."