.jpg&w=600)
Mario Lopez of Chapel Hill said an outing with his father led him to a $1 million lottery prize.
His good fortune happened Friday night when he stopped by Calvander Food Mart on Dairyland Road in Chapel Hill and bought a $10 Carolina Millions scratch-off ticket.
“I don’t usually get scratch-off tickets,” Lopez explained. “Since my dad was with me, I decided to get some so we could play together.”
When he scratched the ticket, he couldn’t believe what he saw.
“It felt like I was having a heart attack,” Lopez said. “We were speechless. This is life-changing. Let’s just say it’s been a very long weekend.”
Lopez claimed his prize Monday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. He had the choice of taking an annuity that has 20 payments of $50,000 a year or a lump sum of $600,000. He chose the lump sum. After required state and federal tax withholdings, he took home $423,009. He plans to use some of the money to pay bills, and invest the rest.
Carolina Millions launched in October 2016 with eight top prizes of $1 million. Two top prizes remain.
Congratulations!
Login to leave a comment.