Harry Veasey, a retired schoolteacher from Aberdeen, says winning a $1 million lottery prize means he can finally retire his 1997 Toyota Camry after 316,000 miles.
Veasey, who taught school for 41 years in South Carolina and North Carolina schools, says he plans to buy a “used” 2017 Camry, pay off some bills and save the rest of his prize money. He’s the first person to win one of the five $1 million top prizes in the Hit $5,000 game.
His good luck happened Wednesday when he stopped by Jay’s Food Mart on N.C. 211 East and played the lottery. He said he first saw the “moneybag” symbol and then saw his prize was $1 million. To make sure, he used the store’s ticket checker and the message read: “Claim at lottery.”
“It was all right,” Veasey said of the win.
Veasey traveled to lottery headquarters with friends on Thursday to claim his prize. He had the choice of taking his prize as an annuity of $50,000 a year for 20 years or a lump sum of $600,000. He chose the lump sum and, after state and federal tax withholdings, took home $423,009.
The $10 Hit $5,000 game launched in July. Four $1 million prizes remain to be won.
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