Gary Sweet of Rocky Point in Pender County became the first North Carolinian to win the top prize of $1 million in the new 50X The Cash game.
Sweet’s luck came with a $10 ticket he purchased Sunday at the 17th St. Market of Wilmington located on South 17th Street. He claimed his prize Monday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh.
Sweet 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 $424,502.
The 50X The Cash game started on the First Tuesday in February, offering four top prizes of $1 million. Three top prizes remain to be won.
Players can also enter any of their Multiply The Cash instant tickets into four second-chance drawings. Each drawing offers chances to win either a top prize of $50,000, one of eight $5,000 prizes, or one of 25 $500 prizes. The entry deadline for the first drawing is March 31.
Ticket sales from games like 50X The Cash help the lottery raise more than $650 million a year for education. For details on how $4 million in money raised by the lottery helped education in Pender County last year, click on the
“Impact” section of the lottery’s website.
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