Waled Ali of Kinston said a $1 million lottery win provides him the chance to make investments, start a new business, or perhaps buy a home.

Ali, owner of the Avenue Stop 1 in Kinston, bought the lucky Red Hot Million$ ticket at the Safeway Mart on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Kinston while on the way home from work.

“Unbelievable,” said Ali on Tuesday as he claimed his prize. “I couldn’t believe I won a million dollars.”

Ali had a choice of receiving an annuity of $50,000 for 20 years or a lump sum payment of $600,000. He chose the lump sum and after required state and federal tax withholdings received $424,503.

He said he had not yet made a final decision on how best to use his prize money, but will decide something that helps him and his family.

The $10 game started in July with four top prizes of $1 million. One $1 million prize remains to be claimed.

Ticket sales from scratch-off games make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $700 million a year for education. For details on how lottery funds have helped all of North Carolina’s 100 counties, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website. https://www.nclottery.com