Man wins $1M from lottery ticket he bought with money found in parking lot

A North Carolina man received an unexpected windfall last week from a scratch-off lottery ticket he bought with $20 dollars he found on the ground.

Banner Elk resident Jerry Hicks landed a $1 million prize from the Extreme Cash scratch-off ticket, electing Friday to collect it as a one-time payout of $600,000 – before taxes – the North Carolina Education Lottery said. His post-tax winnings were $429,007.

Hicks said he "found $20 in the parking lot outside the Speedway" in Boone on Tuesday and "used that to buy the ticket" that won him the prize, according to the lottery.

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"They actually didn’t have the ticket I was looking for, so I bought that one instead," Hicks said.

The largest prize offered by the $25-per-ticket Extreme Cash scratch-off is $1 million. The chances of winning $1 million from the game stood at 1 in 2,017,650 as of Monday, according to the lottery.

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Hicks’ post-win plans included a stop at the local Golden Corral restaurant.

"We are going to head straight to Golden Corral and eat everything they’ve got." 

The funds will also help Hicks retire from his 56-year carpentry career, the North Carolina Education Lottery said. He also plans to use the money to help his children.

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Other North Carolinians pocketed six-figures from lottery wins during the same week.

A man from Gastonia received $429,003 after taxes from $1 million he scored from a $10 scratch-off, according to the lottery. Another in Goldsboro won a $150,000 Powerball prize that amounted to $107,251 after taxes.