Terry McCall of Efland felt a big lottery win coming and a $30 scratch-off delivered it as a $100,000 prize.
“I actually told my son two weeks ago, ‘I’m going to hit a big one soon,’” McCall recalled.
He purchased his lucky Millionaire Bucks ticket from Graham Grocery on N.C 54 in Graham.
“It was just my usual routine,” McCall said. “I go by that same store every day.”
McCall said he bought a Millionaire Bucks ticket because his biggest previous lottery win also came on the same game.
“Earlier in December I hit $2,000 on that ticket,” he said.
He collected his prize at lottery headquarters Friday and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $71,758.
McCall plans to use his winnings to pay bills and help out his family.
The Millionaire Bucks game debuted in October with four $5 million top prizes and 10 $100,000 prizes. Three $5 million prizes and eight $100,000 prizes remain to be claimed.
The N.C. Education Lottery’s Play Smart™ program helps North Carolinians make the most of their lottery play. Visit ncplaysmart.com to learn about all things lottery, from tips on how odds work to how to enter bonus drawings. If you or someone you know needs support, visit morethanagame.nc.gov/ for free, confidential help.
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3/14/2025 07:18 - Thorne B.
NCEL: your response only applies to Progressive games;Mark's comment did not reveal what games he was playing! Progressives do depend on the bet/wager to win a jackpot however the non- progressive games do not or the games are rigged!NC LotteryHi there! We're sorry for any confusion caused by this. Mark mentioned a jackpot in his initial comment, and jackpot prizes are only available with progressive jackpot Digital Instants. You are correct that the odds of winning non-progressive jackpot top prizes do not change depending on the wager amount. In the case of top prizes or non-jackpot prizes in progressive jackpot games, the top prize value would depend on the amount a player bets, but the odds of winning the top prize would be the same across wager amounts.
3/12/2025 05:49 - Thorne B.
NCEL:This is a repeat of what you stated in your reply to Mark.The odds of winning do not depend on wager amount, if it does the game is rigged.Lottery (Slot) machines use a RNG to determine the spin results not the amount of the wager.NC LotteryDigital Instants randomly generate an outcome with each play. With each wager amount in the progressive jackpot games, there is a chance that the game will generate a jackpot-winning outcome, but the odds of winning a jackpot (which are based on the number of potential outcomes of a play) depend on how much a player bets.
3/11/2025 08:53 - Jesse M.
Agree 100 % with the online part and hell even the tickets. Online if you hit anything it feels like a light switch gets cut off immediately after and just eats any of what it just gave. Very few back to back hits.
3/11/2025 07:42 - Thorne B.
NCEL, Are you sure you answered Mark M. correctly? The amount wagered should not change the odds of a win. If that is the case the game is rigged to win only on high wagers/bets.I think maybe the amount of the win will vary. BTNC LotteryHi there! You can view the odds of any Digital Instants game on the game's page. Odds of winning the top prize for each wager amount in a game are the same, but the top prize amount will vary based on the wager. However, with our progressive jackpot Digital Instants, every bet has a chance to win the jackpots! However, the odds of winning those jackpots are dependent on how much you wager. For example, a $1 bet is 2x more likely to hit the jackpot than a 50¢ bet, and a $5 bet is 5x more likely than a $1 bet. This structure allows every wager a chance to win the jackpots. Instead of the amount won changing based on the wager amount, the odds are dependent on how much a player bets. Hope this helps to clarify!
3/11/2025 08:47 - Tom a.
Will the lottery extend the drawing deadline for second chance drawings this month since we are unable to enter our tickets?NC LotteryHi, Tom! We apologize for any inconvenience caused by the issues affecting Lucke-Rewards, and we're working to get these problems resolved as quickly as possible. At this time, we do not have any plans to extend deadlines for Lucke-Rewards or second chance drawings, but if that were to change, we'll make sure to share it on our website.
3/11/2025 06:57 - Steven B.
wonderful for your family!
3/11/2025 01:55 - Robert f.
Congratulations from Charlotte,nice win enjoy I wish I could win a big prize like that.hey nc lottery some states have $100 scratch off tickets when will you get them.
3/10/2025 11:22 - Douglas H.
Congratulations to the McCall family!!! Your lucky day can come anyday. Unexpected blessings. Enjoy your win :-)
3/10/2025 02:30 - Mark M.
what total BS. I feel like a big win coming on all the time. I have tons of entries into drawings. Only scratch off wins are nominal at best, online play is ridiculous as unless you play Huge money the you'll lose it all in seconds. No Jackpot will be paid on minimum bet and that should be made clearNC LotteryIt definitely takes a lot of luck to be a big winner! We also wanted to share that while top prizes in our Digital Instants games can depend on the amount you bet, any wager amount has a chance to win the jackpots in our progressive jackpot Digital Instants games, though the odds of winning are dependent on the amount wagered.