‘I started crying.’ NC man scores $2 million jackpot that partner thought was a joke.
.jpg "Dan Greenan poses with his partner, Lenore Connelly, at lottery headquarters in Raleigh on Monday, May 20, 2024, after his big scratch-off ticket jackpot.")
A North Carolina man said he cried after realizing his Instant Millions scratch-off ticket scored a $2 million jackpot, N.C. lottery officials said Tuesday.
“Never in a million years did I think something like this would happen to me,” Mooresville resident Dan Greenan said after claiming his prize in the new game at lottery headquarters in Raleigh on Monday.
He beat odds of 1 in 7.29 million, according to the Instant Millions page on the lottery website.
“You’re lying,” skeptical partner said
Greenan said he had trouble convincing his partner, Lenore Connelly, that the prize was legit.
“I said, ‘We just won $2 million,’” Greenan recounted. “She said, ‘You’re lying,’ and I said, ‘No honey, I swear I am not lying.’”
Greenan quipped that he could barely make it to lottery headquarters because “I haven’t slept since Friday,” according to a lottery news release.
Though skeptical he’d ever land such a large prize, Greenan said he still entered the convenience store where he bought the ticket dreaming big.
$20 ticket hit top prize in game
Greenan bought the $20 ticket at Home Run Market on Williamson Road, in Mooresville near Lake Norman.
“It was $20 and a dream,” he said. “And the dream came true.”
He won the top prize in the game.
Greenan had the choice of taking the prize as a $100,000 annuity over 20 years or a $1.2 million lump sum. He chose the annuity, lottery officials said. After his first $100,000 payment on Monday, he took home $70,657 after taxes.
He’ll travel the country
Greenan said he’ll spend some of the money traveling the country, including to Hawaii and the Grand Canyon.
The lottery launched Instant Millions this month with four $2 million top prizes and eight $100,000 prizes. Three $2 million prizes and eight $100,000 prizes remain to be won, according to the Instant Millions page.