Three $1 million wins top best of the week

Ultimate Millions is the biggest scratch-off game our state has ever seen. This week we had the pleasure of seeing two of the week's three $1 million wins come thanks to the game.

The first belongs to Gina Short of Mecklenburg County, who won $1 million in the first of three Ultimate Millions second-chance drawings. Short, who is fighting breast cancer, was elated to find out she won. “I have a second chance,” she said. “That’s what my whole life is about – second chances.”

A Durham man became the latest player to scratch off a $1 million prize playing Ultimate Millions. Naun Reyes bought his lucky ticket at the Kangaroo Express on Holloway Street in Durham.

A third $1 million win went to Thomas Barnes, a resident of Grifton in Greene County. Barnes, who owns his own construction company, is the first player to win a $1 million top prize in the new 50X The Cash game. He bought his lucky ticket at Maury Convenience & Hardware in the small town of Maury in Greene County.

Two top prizes of $300,000 were won playing the $300,000 Jackpot game. Rodrick Loritts of Conover and Moises Ventura of Garner claimed their prizes this week.

A third six-figure win went to a chef from Durham. Maurice Elliot says the $150,000 he won playing the $500 Cash game will help him pay for his daughter’s education – and buy a truck.

A Charlotte woman came forward to collect her $99,302 Carolina Cash 5 jackpot. Yvonne Jones won it in the Feb. 11 drawing.

Eight players claimed $50,000 prizes:

• Katrina Caudle of Durham (10X The Cash)
• Dorothy Ruiz of Charlotte (Junior Big Ol’ Bucks)
• Reina Hale of Fayetteville (Feb. 12 Cash 5 drawing)
• Leslie Overbay of Cornelius (Feb. 13 Cash 5 drawing)
• Samuel Lewis of Fayetteville (Ultimate Millions)
• La Branggam of Rockingham ($200 Million Blowout)
• Geoffrey Plant of Bayside, N.Y. (10X The Cash)
• Jose Camacho Rivas of Charlotte (Feb. 6 Powerball drawing)

A pair of players, Charles Taylor of Old Fort and Denise Newman of Salisbury, won $20,000 apiece playing Ultimate Millions.

Seven players cashed in tickets worth $10,000:

• Douglas Bellamy of Whiteville (Jumbo Bucks)
• Adam Everitte of Hope Mills ($2,500 a Week for Life!)
• Tiffanique Heyward-McFadden of Columbia, S.C. (20X The Cash)
• John Sciarrino of Salisbury ($200 Million Blowout)
• Gordon Boone of Havelock (5X The Cash)
• Mulugheta Ambaye of Raleigh (100X The Cash)
• Ronald Hall of Charlotte (50X The Cash)

Here a break-down of prizes by category:

• $24.9 million to instant scratch-off winners
• $600,000 to winners of multistate drawings
• $4.5 million to winners of North Carolina draw games

Players statewide won an average of $4.2 million a day. We’ll look forward to seeing who makes the list next week. Until then, have a fun and safe weekend. See you soon here in the Lucke-Zone.