Lottery player wins $1 million in North Carolina. But he won’t keep it all for himself
.jpeg "A North Carolina lottery player plans to share his $1 million prize with his family.")
A North Carolina man was sitting at home with his family when he realized he won $1 million.
Wendell James bought a $30 “Millionaire Maker” scratch-off lottery ticket Saturday afternoon at a Vasco on East 5th Street in Tabor City, according to a Tuesday news release from the North Carolina Education Lottery.
He later scratched the ticket while sitting in his den with his family and saw he won a top prize.
“My family was sitting there and we just got excited,” he told lottery officials.
James claimed his prize Monday and chose to take a lump sum of $600,000 over an annuity of $50,000 a year for 20 years, the lottery says. He took home $424,509 after taxes.
He told lottery officials winning the prize “feels fantastic” and that he plans to share it with his family.
“I have a close-knit family, so I’m going to share it with my family, my brothers and sisters,” James told lottery officials. “I’ll be able to help them like they’ve been helping us all our lives.”
The “Millionaire Maker” game launched in March with 30 top prizes. James is the fifth person to win one of them.
Tabor City is in Columbus County, about 160 miles south of Raleigh.
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