North Carolina Man Scores 'Jumbo' Lottery Prize
By Sarah Tate
October 29, 2021
Another man in North Carolina can say he hit the jackpot in a new lottery game.
Earl Smith, of Clinton, recently purchased a $10 Jumbo Bucks scratch-off ticket from the Express Market #3 on Russell Street when he found that the lucky ticket won him $1 million, the NC Education Lottery reports.
The Sampson County man claimed his prize at lottery headquarters in Raleigh on Wednesday (October 27), bringing home a good chunk of change. Smith had the choice of either accepting the $1 million prize as an annuity of $50,000 per year over the course of 20 years or receiving a one time, lump sum payment of $600,000. He ended up choosing the latter, winning a grand total of $424,503 after state and federal taxes.
According to lottery officials, the Jumbo Bucks game launched in April with eight grand prizes of $1 million. After Smith's win, two of the top prizes remain unclaimed.
Several people in North Carolina have recently found themselves winners of big prizes. One woman also won $1 million with a scratch-off ticket, while another man scored a $1 million prize days after getting married. Even a North Carolina truck driver passing through Tennessee hit the jackpot in that state, also winning a million-dollar prize.