Last Thursday, Kevin Clark of Candler set out to find the last top prize of the $5,000,000 Mega Cash scratch-off game and after four hours of scouring Buncombe County, his wish came true.

“I had a real good feeling it was going to be in the western part of the state,” said Clark. “I went to about 40 different stores and bought every single last Mega Cash ticket I could find.”

Clark said he’d put in the research and took a “big gamble” in making the decision to buy those $20 tickets. “There was only a handful of stores that even had them,” he said.

He didn’t know it then, but the Stop N Go on U.S. 70 in Swannanoa had the lucky ticket. “I scanned it with my phone and it told me to go see a retailer,” he recalled. “So, I scratched it off and when I scratched it off I couldn’t believe it! I started shaking. And then I cried.”

On Monday morning, Clark decided that he wasn’t going in to work and drove to lottery headquarters in Raleigh to claim his prize.

Clark had the choice of taking the $5 million as an annuity of $250,000 a year over 20 years or a lump sum of $3,000,000. He chose the lump sum and after required state and federal tax withholdings he took home $2,122,506.

“I’m a simple man and I mow grass,” Clark said. “But I’ve always been interested in real estate, so my biggest plans with the majority of the money is to invest in real estate and some small businesses.”

After days of not sleeping due to the excitement, he says he looks forward to going home and getting a good night’s sleep.

Ticket sales from scratch-off games make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $725 million per year for education. For details on how $11.2 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Buncombe County in 2019, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.