A North Carolina man said he cried after realizing his Instant Millions scratch-off ticket had won a $2 million jackpot, North Carolina Lottery officials said Tuesday.
“Never in a million years did I think something like this would happen to me,” Mooresville resident Dan Greenan said after claiming his prize in the new game at lottery headquarters in Raleigh on Monday .
He beat odds of 1 in 7.29 million, according to the lottery site’s Instant Millions page.
“You’re lying,” said a skeptical partner
Greenan said he had difficulty convincing his partner, Lenore Connelly, that the price was legitimate.
“I said, ‘We just won $2 million,'” Greenan said. “She said, ‘You’re lying,’ and I said, ‘No honey, I swear I’m not lying.'”
Greenan joked that he could barely make it to lottery headquarters because “I haven’t slept since Friday,” according to a lottery press release.
Although skeptical about the possibility of winning such a large prize, Greenan said he still walked into the convenience store where he purchased the ticket dreaming big.
A $20 bill won the game’s top prize
Greenan bought the $20 bill at the Home Run Market on Williamson Road in Mooresville near Lake Norman.
“It was $20 and a dream,” he said. “And the dream came true.”
He won the game’s first prize.
Greenan had the choice of receiving the prize in the form of a $100,000 annuity over 20 years or a lump sum of $1.2 million. He chose the annuity, lottery officials said. After his first payment of $100,000 on Monday, he took home $70,657 after taxes.
He will travel the country
Greenan said he would spend some of the money traveling around the country, including Hawaii and the Grand Canyon.
The lottery launched Instant Millions this month with four $2 million top prizes and eight $100,000 prizes. There are three $2 million prizes and eight $100,000 prizes remaining to be won, according to the Instant Millions page.
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