Shawn Snook of Statesville got to celebrate his birthday a day early after a lucky Mega Millions ticket won him a $4 million prize.
“That was a nice early birthday present,” he laughed.
Snook bought his $3 ticket for the Dec. 17 drawing using Online Play. His ticket matched all five white balls to win $1 million. His prize quadrupled to $4 million when the 4X Megaplier hit. The odds of that win are 1 in 12.6 million.
“I just picked some random numbers,” Snook recalled. “I woke up the next day and there you go. I couldn’t believe it.”
He said the timing of his big win works out well for his family.
“We just started building a house so this really comes at a great time for us,” Snook said.
He arrived at lottery headquarters Monday to claim his prize and, after required federal and state tax withholdings, took home $2,870,001.
“I’ve told multiple people that I’m going to hit a big one one day,” Snook said. “I just had a feeling.”
The jackpot for Tuesday’s Mega Millions drawing is $44 million as an annuity, or $19.5 million in cash. The odds of winning a Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 302 million.
Mega Millions is one of six lottery games in North Carolina where players can buy tickets at a retail location or with Online Play through the lottery website or the NC Lottery Official Mobile App.
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