NC man thought a lottery ticket would make him rich. He bought one and hit a jackpot.
A North Carolina man saw a lottery ticket that said it could make him a millionaire. So he bought one and ended up hitting a jackpot, state lottery officials said Tuesday.
“I still don’t believe it’s really true,” Daniel Jenkins of Lincolnton told officials when he claimed his $1 million prize at lottery headquarters in Raleigh on Monday, according to an N.C. Education Lottery news release. “For me, this is life changing.”
Jenkins beat odds of 1 in 2.95 million with his $30 scratch-off ticket, according to the Millionaire Maker page on the lottery website.
The 44-year-old construction worker won the top prize in the Jan. 5 second-chance drawing — the second of three drawings in the Millionaire Maker second-chance promotion.
His entry was picked from more than 1.4 million entries, according to the lottery.
Players get a second chance with their Millionaire Maker tickets by scanning them into their lottery accounts, which automatically enters them into the next drawing.
Each drawing offers a $1 million prize, a $100,000 prize and 20 $500 prizes. The date of the third and final drawing has not yet been set, officials said.
Jenkins told lottery officials that he was shocked when he saw the notification.
He had the choice of taking the prize as an annuity of $50,000 over 20 years or a $600,000 lump sum. He chose the lump sum and took home $426,060 after taxes, officials said.
Jenkins said he’ll use some of his winnings to buy a new Kia Telluride SUV — $33,090 manufacturer’s suggested retail price — and possibly build a new house.
“It really is a blessing,” he said.
This story was originally published March 1, 2022 at 4:32 PM.