North Carolina woman wins $1 million prize from a $30 scratch-off ticket

A woman from Charlotte decided to try her luck with a $30 scratch-off ticket. She bought it at the Quik Trip on Burton Lane in Cornelius and was thrilled to discover she had won one of the top prizes with a remarkable $1 million reward. Recently, she visited the North Carolina Education Lottery headquarters to claim her prize. As expected, she had the choice to either receive the full $1 million through annuity payments of $50,000 over 20 years or opt for a one-time lump sum of about $600,000. She chose the lump sum, which, after state and federal taxes, left her $432,000 richer. She hasn’t disclosed any plans for her winnings yet. Meanwhile, Mecklenburg County, where she lives, received $60 million from lottery funding in 2025.

The North Carolina Education Lottery introduced the Max-A-Million ticket on March 4, 2025. Each ticket is priced at $30, providing players the chance to win prizes ranging from $30 to a whopping $1 million. The odds of hitting the top prize are 1 in 363,970.8, with 12 out of the original 25 million-dollar prizes still available. For those aiming for a tier-two reward, a $100,000 prize awaits, and six of these are up for grabs, with odds at 1 in 909,927. Another opportunity is the tier-three prize of $20,000, with 11 prizes remaining and odds of 1 in 454,963.5. Beyond these, numerous prizes from $5,000 to $30 make this scratch-off a favorite among participants. The overall odds of winning any prize in the game stand at 1 in 2.95.