Four Hours and 40 Stores Led NC Man to $5 Million Lottery Win
Wednesday August 5th 2020A North Carolina lottery player's hunch drove him on an epic four-hour treasure hunt, visiting 40 retailers as he searched for the final $5 million Mega Cash scratch-off game grand prize.
Astonishingly, his marathon trek did lead to the big win!
"I had a real good feeling it was going to be in the western part of the state," Kevin Clark, of Candler in Buncombe County, told the NC Education Lottery.
After researching which retailers offered the $20 scratch-off tickets, Clark took a big gamble. “There was only a handful of stores that even had them,” he said. “I went to about 40 different stores and bought every single last Mega Cash ticket I could find.”
At last, Clark scored the top prize with a lucky ticket from the Stop N Go on U.S. 70 in Swannanoa, near Asheville.
"I scanned it with my phone and it told me to go see a retailer," he recalled. "So, I scratched it off, and when I scratched it off I couldn't believe it! I started shaking. And then I cried."
Clark claimed his prize at NC Education Lottery headquarters in Raleigh and chose to take the $3 million lump sum cash option. The alternative was to receive $5 million paid as an annuity of $250,000 annually for 20 years.
After tax withholdings, Clark received $2,122,506 million - a pretty sweet deal for four hours of work!
"I'm a simple man and I mow grass," he told lottery officials. "But I've always been interested in real estate, so my biggest plans with the majority of the money is to invest in real estate and some small businesses."
But first, he needed some shut-eye. Clark revealed that he'd been so excited he hadn't slept for days - and after receiving his check he could finally get a good rest.
North Carolina uses its lottery proceeds to fund education in the state, including the free NC Pre-K program, college scholarships, and school repairs. In the past year, the lottery has raised a record-breaking $729.8 million, including $11.2 million in Clark's home, Buncombe County.
Latest News