Seasoned lottery player in North Carolina wins $1m

• A $10 lottery ticket turned into a sweet $1m payday for one High Point, North Carolina, resident
• The winner said he always thought he would win big and finally did
• Two more top prizes remain in play from the $10 Cashword Kick ticket

One lottery player who always thought he would win big finally scored a life-changing prize.

That's the case for a High Point resident, who took down one of the top prizes from the North Carolina Education Lottery's Cashword King scratch-off game.

$10 scratch-off turns into $1m prize

The lucky winner purchased his Cashword King ticket at Smitty’s 1 Stop on West Lexington Avenue in High Point.

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

The fortunate player recently visited the North Carolina Education Lottery headquarters to claim his big win.

In an interview with a Lottery official, the High Point resident said: "I wouldn’t buy tickets if I didn’t believe I would win. I always thought I would win."

Recalling the day he scratched off the winning ticket, the fortunate man said that he immediately called his son and told him about the unexpected windfall.

Holding the big Lottery check, the winner added: "Man that feels awesome. I’m just thankful."

The winner had two options when collecting the lottery prize: taking home the entire prize of $1m via annuity payments of $50,000 for 20 years, or taking home a one-time lump cash sum of $600,000.

As with many lottery prizes of such size, the winner picked the latter option and after the applicable taxes, he collected $432,063.

Asked about his plans for his newfound fortune, the High Point man admitted he intends to invest.

Plenty of prizes remain in play from the Cashword King ticket

The latest top prize win from Cashword King represents the second $1m prize won from the $10 scratch-off ticket.

With odds of 1 in 1,208,752.5, there are two more top prizes of $1m each remaining in play.

On the other hand, the game offers a tier-two prize of $10,000.

The odds of winning a tier-two prize from Cashword King are 1 in 604,376.25 and out of eight such prizes, four are up for grabs.

A tier three prize from the $10 ticket offers $5,000 and there are five such prizes in play with odds of 1 in 402,917.5.

Within the lower prize tiers between $2,000 and $10, thousands of prizes remain in play.

The Cashword King ticket debuted on August 5, 2025, and offers overall odds of winning any prize of 1 in 3.57.

Image credit: North Carolina Education Lottery