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Malek Dabwan of Goldsboro said winning $1 million didn’t even cross his mind when he got a phone call from the lottery telling him that he’d won a prize.
“I thought it was a robocall for a minute,” Dabwan said. “But then you said my name and I got excited. I thought it might be a small amount, but I never expected this.”
When he came to the Greenville claim center on Wednesday, he learned just how much he won in the Dec. 4 $300,000,000 Supreme Riches Second-Chance drawing.
“We have a surprise for you,” a lottery representative said when he walked through the door. “You just won $1 million!”
Lottery staff burst into cheers and applause while Dabwan gave his mom a big hug.
“I’m shaking right now,” Dabwan said coming up to the front of the room.
The convenience store manager’s entry was chosen from over 600,000.
“I’m a millionaire!” Dabwan said when he got his big check. “Nothing like this has ever happened to me. You put your entries in and then forget it for two or three months. I never thought anything would come out of it, but it did. I’m a second-chance believer now.”
Dabwan had the choice of taking a $1 million annuity that has 20 payments of $50,000 a year or a lump sum of $600,000. He chose the lump sum. After federal and state tax withholdings, he took home $424,500. Dabwan said he plans to use the money to buy a house.
The $30 ticket launched in April. This was the second of four second-chance drawings associated with the game. In addition to the $1 million prize, four people won $10,000 and 50 people won $200 in the drawing. Winners of second-chance drawings will receive a phone call or email notifying them that they won.
Ticket sales from games like $300,000,000 Supreme Riches make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $700 million a year for education. For details on how lottery funds made a difference in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website.
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