Georgia man visits North Carolina for work, wins $1m scratch-off prize

• One Georgia resident recently visited North Carolina and gave a scratch-off game a try
• The man was surprised after winning a top prize from the North Carolina Education Lottery's $1,000,000 Bonus Match game for a sweet $1m
• A range of prizes remain up for grabs from the popular game

A Fitzgerald, Georgia resident, who recently visited North Carolina won a life-changing million-dollar prize from a popular scratch-off game.

Earlier this week, the North Carolina Education Lottery confirmed that the fortunate man won one of the top prizes from its $1,000,000 Bonus Match game for a $1m payout.

The winner will take home the entire $1m prize via annuity payments

The fortunate man purchased his winning ticket from Minuteman Food Mart located at North Roberts Avenue in Lumberton.

To his surprise, the $10 scratch-off ticket brought him a whopping $1m top prize.

The fortunate man visited North Carolina for work. He didn't wait long to contact the North Carolina Education Lottery and claim his big win.

As is the case with large lottery prizes, the lucky man was given a choice to either receive the full sum via annuity payments or take home a one-time lump sum.

In the first case, the winner would be looking forward to payments of $50,000 per year for a total of 20 years.

On the other hand, the latter option would instantly award him $600,000.

While most lottery players select the former option, the Georgia man decided to pick the latter for the entire $1m prize.

As a result, the lucky player collected his first $50,000 payment and will be looking forward to 19 such annuity payments.

Considering that federal and state taxes are applicable to lottery winnings in North Carolina, the Fitzgerald resident's bank account increased by nearly $36,000.

The winner did not reveal what his plans were about the unexpected windfall.

Three top prizes remain in play from the $10 scratch-off ticket

The $1,000,000 Bonus Match scratch-off ticket launched on August 29, 2025.

While it hasn't been even a month since the release of the game, two of the game's top prizes have already been won.

The odds of winning $1m from the $10 game are 1 in 1,479,636 and out of five top prizes, only three remain up for grabs.

The scratch-off game also offers the same odds for a tier two prize of $50,000 and there are four out of five such prizes in play.

A tier three prize from the $1,000,000 Bonus Match awards $10,000 and the odds of winning such a prize are 1 in 369,909.

Out of 20 prizes of $10,000 each at launch, 16 remain in play.

Within the lower prize tiers, between $5,000 and $10, there are many more prizes up for grabs.

Image credit: North Carolina Education Lottery