First-time lottery player scoops $5 MILLION on ticket his dad chose - but 'didn't think it was real'

A first time North Carolina lottery player was shocked when a scratcher they had bought on a whim revealed the states top prize for scratch off lottery tickets. Jarett Allen from Burnsville was the lucky winner of $5,000,000 in the N.C. lottery on Thursday after purchasing a $30 200X ticket from a local general store in Riverside, according to a news release from the N.C Lottery . “My dad chose the ticket for me,” Allen recalled. He said in the release that he couldn't believe he hit a $5 million prize on his first try playing the lottery. “I didn’t think it was real,” he said. “I thought I wasn’t looking at it right.” Lottery winner says he's 'got to get a car' after driving vehicle with 850k miles to collect winnings Golfer wins Powerball lottery by playing numbers from that day's special round on the course Lottery winning over $100,000 have to be claimed at the lottery headquarters in Raleigh and prizes over $600 must be claimed at a lottery office and winners must provide a photo I.D as well as their social security number. When Allen arrived at lottery headquarters to he had a choice to make. Take the annual annuity payments of $250,000 per year for the next 20 years. Or take the lump sum payment of of $3 million and pay the required state and federal tax withholdings. He ended up taking the lump sum payment walking away with a total of $2,152,508, according to the release. Allen said in the release that he plans to use the money to help his parents and invest the remaining money. Since the $30 200X began in 2022 it had allotted five top prizes of $5 million each and 18 $100,000 prizes. Allen's big win was the last of the $5 million prizes and the lottery said in the game that they will begin the process of winding down the game, according to the release. The annuity payments offer the prize winner to ultimately collect more of the winnings but most financial advisors recommend players take the lump sum payments as even minimal risk investments can yield more than what the total prize is worth.