A Charlotte man changed his habit and bought a cheaper lottery ticket. He’s glad he did.

A Charlotte restaurant manager changed his daily habit of buying a $30 lottery ticket in favor of some less expensive ones.

He’s glad he did, as the switch won him a $1 million prize, NC lottery officials said Wednesday.

Michael Ferri typically buys a cup of coffee and a $30 ticket at a Circle K on North Tryon Street on his way to work at an American Burger Company each morning, according to an NC Education Lottery news release.

“This time, I decided to get some $10 tickets instead,” Ferri told lottery officials.

He was shocked, he said, when he scratched one of the Hit $5,000 tickets and saw he’d won $1 million. “It’s just unbelievable,” Ferri said. “It still hasn’t set in.”

He beat odds of 1 in 1.68 million, according to the lottery’s website.

He could choose between a $1 million annuity with 20 payments of $50,000 a year or a $600,000 lump sum. He chose the lump sum, lottery officials said.

After tax withholdings, he took home $424,503, according to the release.

Ferri plans to replace the old Mitsubishi he drives to work. It’s logged over 230,000 miles, he told lottery officials.

“That’s going to hit the road, and I’ll get a new car,” he said. “I don’t need anything fancy, just something that gets me to and from work.”

Hit $5,000 debuted in July 2018 with five top prizes of $1 million. Two remain. 

This story was originally published April 3, 2019 at 8:57 PM with the headline "A Charlotte man changed his habit and bought a cheaper lottery ticket. He’s glad he did.."