Another area resident wins $1M on lottery game

Another Charlotte-area resident has won a $1 million prize on an N.C. Education Lottery instant scratch-off game.

This time, the lucky person is Salisbury resident Champakbhai Patel, who won the prize playing the new Ultimate Millions game, the lottery announced. That is the same game that a Lincolnton man won. Both wins were announced this week.

Patel claimed his winnings Tuesday afternoon, and said simply, “It feels very good. ... I’m happy,” according to the lottery. He bought the $30 ticket at Danny’s Place, a convenience store he owns on West Main Street in Rockwell.

A $1 million lottery prize can be claimed in 20 payments of $50,000 or a one-time payment of $600,000. Patel took the lump sum payout, the lottery said, which was worth $415,509 after federal and state taxes were withheld.

The other local winner was Tyrone Heller of Lincolnton, who bought his Ultimate Millions ticket at the convenience store where he works, Country Corner Foodmart on N.C. 150 East in Lincolnton.

He waited until he got home to play the game, but was puzzled at first when he saw the “1 MIL” prize amount on the ticket. “Then it kind of sunk in. Did I win $1 million?” he later told lottery officials.

He did.

Heller also took the lump-sum payout, and plans to buy a house and save for his daughter’s college fund, he told the lottery.

A co-worker at Country Corner, Debra Tablock, said Heller plans to keep working. She said Heller is a part-time employee who has been at the store for about 15 years, and also has a second job doing painting work.

“He’s a good guy,” Tablock said. “We’re all thrilled to death for him.”

The Ultimate Millions game debuted Sept. 1. The odds of winning $1 million are 1 in 886,667, and the odds of winning the game’s top prize of $10 million are nearly 1 in 4 million.

The price for various instant ticket games ranges from $1 to $30, and Ultimate Millions is the first scratch-off game to cost $30. It offers four top prizes, 18 prizes of $1 million and other prizes ranging from $30 to $50,000.

This story was originally published September 17, 2015 at 8:30 AM with the headline "Another area resident wins $1M on lottery game."