First-time lottery player wins big: Man strikes $5M gold
One Yancey County man has struck gold after buying his first scratch-off and winning top-prize millions.
By Zola Sigmon
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YANCEY COUNTY, North Carolina (WLOS) — One Yancey County man has struck gold after buying his first scratch-off and winning top-prize millions.
According to a release, Jarrett Allen of Burnsville, N.C., bought his winning 200X The Cash ticket from Riverside General Store on U.S. 19 East in Burnsville.
Allen said his dad enjoys playing the lottery, so he decided to play with him.
“It was the first lottery ticket I’ve ever bought,” Allen said. “My dad chose the ticket for me.”
The release said Allen couldn’t believe he had won $5 million on his first try and “didn’t think it was real.”
“I thought I wasn’t looking at it right,” Allen said.
The release said that when Allen arrived at lottery headquarters in Raliegh, N.C., on Jan. 10 to collect his winnings, he could choose to receive his prize as an annuity of $250,000 over 20 years or a lump sum of $3 million.
After required state and federal tax withholdings, Allen chose the lump sum of $3 million and took $2,152,508 home with him.
The release said that Allen wants to use his winnings to help out his parents and then invest.
According to the release, the 200X The Cash game debuted in March of 2022 with six top prizes of $5 million and 18 $100,000 prizes.
The release said that after Allen won the last top prize, the lottery would begin the process of ending the game.
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