Forsyth County man celebrates ‘Colossal’ $1 million lottery win

July 25, 2019 Posted by NC Lottery at 9:12 AM

Rodney Johnson of Lewisville is celebrating his good fortune after he won a $1 million lottery prize.

Johnson bought the winning $10,000,000 Colossal Cash scratch-off ticket when he went to the E Stop on Lewisville-Clemmons Road in Lewisville.

He claimed his prize Wednesday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. Johnson 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 $424,509.

The $30 ticket launched in August with four top prizes of $10 million and sixteen $1 million prizes. Two $10 million and eight $1 million prizes remain. Players can also enter their tickets into one of three remaining second-chance drawings for a chance to win $1 million.

Ticket sales from games like $10,000,000 Colossal Cash make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $650 million a year for education. For details on how $21.9 million in lottery funds made a difference in Forsyth County last year, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website.

14 COMMENTS

7/27/2019 09:19 - Beverly R.

Is there a trick to getting one's driver's license to scan in the self-serve lotto machine? I hold my license as shown under the light for 30 seconds or more and the screen still says "Scan license." I've stopped trying to buy tickets in a couple of Food Lions because of this issue. Stand there forever holding license under the scanner and still can't buy a ticket. My license is valid, not expired. Just wondering does anyone have suggestions on the secret to scanning one's license. Thanks.

7/27/2019 05:34 - Craig L.

Are the scratch off’s limited to NC lottery only are are these bigger to tickets cross state? I’m asking because I haven’t seen any of the 2 10 mil winners announced Either way I love playing and hope to win big someday ThanksNC Lottery
Hi Craig, all of the scratch offs we have on sale can only be sold in North Carolina. Both of the $10 million winners in Colossal Cash were announced on the blog! You can check out their stories right here: Demetrius Underwood of Eastover was the first player to win $10 million. http://bit.ly/2JZ9B8E and Theodore Duncan of Oxford won the second. http://bit.ly/2MeZbmO

7/26/2019 03:51 - Sarah B.

@TIM M.: Hey Tim! Anywhere folks are taking more chances to win, you will see the odds play out more often there over time, but that's not to say we don't have a fair share of winners in small towns. If you watch long enough, you'll see that plenty of small towns and rural areas with winners, too. In fact, our recent Powerball jackpot winner was from a small town near Fayetteville with a population of about 15,000. A winning lottery ticket has no idea who might buy it, nor do they have an opinion on them based on where they are from or who they are. We celebrate our winners wherever they're from!

7/26/2019 02:19 - Tim M.

@NC LOTTERY, in reference to what @RICH M was asking, I notice a similar phenomenon. I live in a small town between Fayettville and Raleigh. There have been a few decent wins locally over the years, including a 110K+ Cash 5 win just a few blocks from my house. The neighboring town had a million scratch-off prize a few years ago. However, for the most part, it's just discouraging. I see either on this site or WRAL the latest winner announced. I've seen Charlotte so much I've had a bait of it, but Greensboro and Raleigh give them a run for their money. You'd think the winner could be from Smalltown, NC. And look at the national drawings. The Powerball or whatever ends up being from New York or LA! Yeah, there are exceptions but it seems more often than not, it's the likes of Chicago, etc. Why not Anytown, USA? Please don't become Publisher's Clearing House.

7/26/2019 01:15 - Art R.

Congrats. Rodney enjoy your winnings and most of all enjoy your life.

7/26/2019 03:52 - ALAN C.

How many entries are in the Colossal Cash Second-Chance DrawingNC Lottery
Right now we have 82,221 entries for the Colossal Cash drawing that opened on July 1. Good luck!

7/26/2019 12:33 - Mary H.

Congratulations :)

7/25/2019 04:48 - Douglas H.

Way to go Rodney!!! Enjoy your wonderful win and congratulations

7/25/2019 03:04 - sylvia c.

The drawing that will take place on 8/7/19- If I Win. Will I receive an email? or a Phone call? I have a total of 3186 points- What is the second chance drawings measured by the number of points? I really have faith that I'm going to be the next million dollar winner! I Trust God He is Faithful. Please advise. Thanks!NC Lottery
Hi Sylvia, We make multiple attempts to contact winners. If a winner doesn't respond to our initial email, we follow up with a phone call and then will send a certified letter if they still don't respond. The winners for the Second Chance drawings are chosen by a Random Number Generator. The RNG assigns each entry a random number and then picks one of the random numbers. The more entries you make into a drawing, the more chances you have to win. But having even just one entry in a drawing gives you a chance to win.

7/25/2019 01:39 - NC Lottery

Hi @RICH M, Anywhere there are more chances being taken to win—for example Raleigh or Charlotte—the odds will play out more often there over time. You'll have a larger volume of both winning and non-winning tickets in proportion with the odds. That has no effect on the likelihood of a particular ticket winning or not winning a prize, whether it be in a big city or a small town. It has to be that way in order for the lottery to be fair to everyone.

7/25/2019 01:14 - Mario I.

Congratulations!!!

7/25/2019 01:05 - PAUL P.

Congrats, but I to see no second chance winners names either!NC Lottery
Hey Paul! The lucky $1 million second-chance winner stopped by our office to claim their prize today. We should have more info to share soon!

7/25/2019 12:27 - Richard M.

I buy only 10 dollar or higher scratch off tickets due to the mathematical odds of winning and in 2011 I won three (3) $ 1,000.00 prizes playing a previous incarnation of the popular Jumbo Bucks game , and all from the same convenience store in Franklin. But since then I have noticed that Sylva, where I live now, does not seem to have EVER had a major winner, which to me means $ 10,000.00 or more. Has Sylva ever produced a major jackpot? It seems, and I am sure there is a rational and logical reason for it, that in the far Western Counties rarely ever have a big winner whereas towns in the eastern part of the State no bigger than Sylva seem to produce multiple big winners. Is it just an anomaly when an area is " unlucky " or is it perhaps the fewer number of tickets sold in rural areas and thus less likelihood of getting a winner? We need a local big winner to give us hope!! NC Lottery
Hi Rich, please see our reply above!

7/25/2019 09:22 - cheryl c.

congrats rodney ,Iwas wondering were are the winners for the second chance colossal prizefor july 3rd.NC Lottery
Hi Cheryl, Before a winner's name is posted on the website, he or she has to first respond to the notification and then complete the claim process, either by mail or in person at one of our claim centers. Winners have 30 days from the moment they are notified to complete the claim process. Notification is typically, but not always made, within 48 hours of the draw date. The winners board is not updated until the winner has claimed his/her prize. Hope that helps!

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Forsyth County man celebrates ‘Colossal’ $1 million lottery win

July 25, 2019 Posted by NC Lottery at 9:12 AM

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