A North Carolina teenager is now a millionaire thanks to a $10 scratch card purchased by his sister.
Jalen McLean, 18, is now planning to buy an Audi with his $1 million winnings after his sibling, Dasha Silas, bought the Jumbo Bucks ticket on his behalf on May 21.
‘He had a huge smile on his face. Like so big it looked like the movie character Venom,’ Silas told NC Education Lottery officials.
According to FOX 8, Silas purchased the ticket from Valero in Fayetteville later that night and watched her brother scratch it off.
McLean, the youngest of five siblings, gave his ticket to North Carolina Education Lottery officials and collected some of his winnings on May 22.
Jalen McLean, 18, won $1 million after he gave his sister, Dasha Silas, money to purchase him a scratch ticket at Valero in Fayetteville, North Carolina on May 21
McLean collected some of his earnings at the North Carolina Education Lottery headquarters with family members on May 22
Although McLean requested that his sister buy him a scratch card, she was the one who decided to purchase the Jumbo Bucks ticket from the Valero on South McPherson Church Road.
The Jumbo Bucks tickets were first released on June 6, 2023 and its top prize is $1 million.
According to the NC Education Lottery website, the rules of the game are to match the scratched-off numbers with the winning numbers.
Ticket purchasers who get a 10X symbol win 10 times the prize shown for it.
Owners of a Jumbo Bucks ticket can have a chance to win between $10 and $1 million, and as of now, only two of the grand prize tickets have not been bought in North Carolina yet.
McLean told NC Education Lottery officials that he feels like ‘the luckiest guy in the universe.’
‘How many 18-year-olds win something like this?,’ he added.
The new millionaire had the choice to walk away with $600,000 or receive his prize as an annuity of $50,000 for 20 years.
The NC Education Lottery news release confirmed that McLean had decided to choose the yearly annuity.
It means the 18-year-old will receive $50,000 every year until his entire $1 million cash prize is paid.
Silas, who bought the ticket at the Valero on South McPherson Church Road, decided to purchase a Jumbo Bucks ticket for McLean
Jumbo Bucks was first introduced in June 2023 and ticket purchase who buy the scratch card have a chance to win between $10 and $1 million
Based on the annuity terms, McLean will likely receive a yearly $50,000 check until he turns 38.
He still managed to leave the NC Education Lottery headquarters on May 22 with the first payment, which after required state and federal tax withholdings, came out to $35,753.
McLean has yet to reveal everything he plans to do with the entire $1 million, but so far, he will be using some of the cash prize to buy an Audi.
It comes after another 18-year-old in North Carolina won nearly $2 million during one of his first experiences with the lottery.
Donnie Leviner told NC Education lottery also received the winnings from a scratch-off ticket – something he said he had a ‘gut feeling’ he should buy.
