Lee County man wins first $1 million prize of the new decade

January 2, 2020 Posted by NC Lottery at 3:47 PM

James Paschal of Broadway is the first North Carolina player to win $1 million in the new decade.

“It’s like a dream,” Paschal said. “Happy New Year to me. This is incredible.”

The town commissioner’s good fortune happened when he stopped at the Fastee Mart on Lee Avenue in Sanford and bought a $10 Big Money scratch-off ticket.

“I was shell-shocked,” Paschal said. “I thought I was reading it wrong. When I told my wife, she started screaming. We jumped up and down and hugged each other.”

Paschal claimed his prize Thursday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. He 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 required state and federal tax withholdings, he took home $424,503. He plans to use the money to pay bills.

“We never thought we’d see the day when we’d be debt free,” Paschal said. “But here it is.”

Big Money started in December with three $1 million top prizes. One top prize remains.

Ticket sales from scratch-off games make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $700 million a year for education. For details on how lottery funds have helped all of North Carolina’s 100 counties, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website. https://www.nclottery.com.

18 COMMENTS

1/13/2020 03:56 - nc s.

Can we get stories of these repeat winners playing Pick 4. Some have won over 150,000 in a week playing what looks like 20.00 worth of tickets both night and day. That's great luck or a great tip. The odds are 1 in 10,000 so there should be multiple winners daily in different areas, but it looks like to make up for the crappy amount of winners there rigging it to show players winning playing 5 to 20 of the same number. NC Lottery
Pick 4 is popular with our players, so it's no surprise there are lots of folks taking a chance to win. We don't know how many tickets these players buy, but it’s possible they get a lot of them and get very lucky when their numbers hit. We have strict rules in place to ensure that every set of numbers has exactly the same chance of being drawn in every drawing. All of our live drawings are open to the public. If you're interested in attending, just give our security team a call at 1-888-732-6235.

1/07/2020 08:26 - RO P.

Congratulations on the wonderful news!

1/05/2020 08:03 - Anne S.

Congrats!!

1/05/2020 06:55 - Debra B.

Demetrius I feel your pain. Bought 4 in a row. Nothing !!!!!!

1/04/2020 05:24 - Yolanda C.

When will my winning ticket ever come?

1/04/2020 05:02 - Demetrius M.

Congratulations I played 6tickets in a row and nothing.

1/04/2020 09:38 - Tatiana D.

Denver, I asked at several gas stations around Christmas, and these tickets were all gone! They told me that they didn't expect them to be so popular. Unfortunately, I had zero luck with this game.

1/04/2020 04:24 - Janae E.

Good luck. Praying for my blessing.

1/03/2020 11:48 - Robert O.

CONGRATS! My father won the HGTV Dream Home in 2007 so these things are in fact REAL! CONGRATS AGAIN TO HIM and others that win!

1/03/2020 02:40 - Zachary H.

I’m sure these people are some how some way affiliated with the NC Lottery. Can’t count how many of those tickets I’ve bought and not one a single dollar!!! The only people winning, are the lottery employees! Mainly the executives!!!!NC Lottery
Hi Zachary, We've seen you comment a lot recently and we've done our best to answer your questions and offer more info on how the lottery works, but in reading your comments, we hear that you're frustrated. Lottery games are meant to be a fun form of entertainment, and we only want folks to play as long as they are enjoying themselves. If not, that's a great time to stop playing. We'd also like to take this opportunity to let everyone know that we have resources available for folks who feel like playing the lottery is no longer a game. We encourage you to read more here: https://morethanagamenc.com

1/03/2020 02:26 - Denver G.

@Tatiana D., it seems it was a very popular ticket, despite its size. Besides all the hype leading up to its release. The unique shape & style of the game is cool. The holiday season helped & in my opinion a $10 scratcher is the most popular.

1/03/2020 12:39 - Anita A.

Congratulations!

1/02/2020 08:35 - Gloria C.

Congradulations to you both !! I wish you many more happy wins .

1/02/2020 07:41 - Sheryl S.

Wow

1/02/2020 07:34 - Tatiana D.

Top prizes in this game went pretty fast. Just one left! Unbelievable.

1/02/2020 07:11 - Selemia M.

Congratulations ??

1/02/2020 05:32 - judy p.

HAPPY NEW YEAR. CONGRATS

1/02/2020 05:26 - Gaetana W.

Absolutely awesome and a blessing. Waiting for my day

MUST BE 18 TO PLAY. Odds to win a prize and the top prize vary based on the game or promotion. See game or promotion pages for more detail. Problem Gambling Helpline 877-718-5543

Every effort has been made to ensure that the winning numbers posted on this website are accurate; however, no valid claim may be based on information contained herein. In the event of a discrepancy between the numbers posted on this website and the official winning numbers, the official winning numbers as certified by the Multi-State Lottery Association and/or the NCEL shall control. All materials on this Website are owned by or licensed to the NCEL. Materials on this Website may not be modified in any way or reproduced or publicly displayed, performed or distributed or otherwise used for any public or commercial purpose without the express written consent of the NCEL. Copyright © 2006-2024. The North Carolina Education Lottery. All rights reserved. Play Smart™ term is a service mark of the Illinois Lottery licensed to the NCEL.

Buy, Scan, and Check tickets with the NC Lottery Official Mobile App.

Progressive Jackpot Estimate

Win up to $1,000,000 every 4 minutes

Big Thrills Served Fast.

Lee County man wins first $1 million prize of the new decade

January 2, 2020 Posted by NC Lottery at 3:47 PM