An 18-year-old in North Carolina has won $1 million thanks to a single scratch-off lottery ticket.
It all started when Jalen McLean, from Raleigh, gave his sister money to pick out a scratch-off for him. She selected a $10 Jumbo Bucks ticket from a Valero gas station in Fayetteville.
The siblings sat together as he scratched off his ticket to reveal the big prize.
“I feel like the luckiest guy in the universe,” McLean said, according to a press release.
His sister, Dasha Silas, said her brother “had a huge smile on his face,” according to NC Education Lottery.
“Like so big it looked like the movie character Venom,” she said.
McLean couldn’t believe his fate.
“How many 18-year-olds win something like this?” said McLean.
When the teen went to retrieve his winnings, he made the decision to receive the prize as an annuity of $50,000 over 20 years to ensure he got the full $1 million prize. The other option was a lump sum payment of $600,000.
After taxes, McLean received his first check in the amount of $35,753. He will continue to receive a check every year for the next 19 years.
He said he plans to use his prize money to buy an Audi.
McLean is the youngest of five siblings.
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