Should lottery winner buy a house or a truck? Turns out NC man has enough for both

Big winners in the North Carolina Education Lottery are often cagey about how they’ll spend their money, but not Frederick Perry.

The Harnett County resident won $1 million in the lottery’s Ultimate Dash game and now can buy his heart’s desire.

Perry intends to start with a new house for his family, the lottery reported in an Aug. 16 news release.

Then, he’ll buy a new truck.

Perry beat odds of 1 in 1,343,875 to win $1 million in the game, which launched in April. Tickets are $10.

“I’ve been playing that same game ever since it came out,” Perry said in the release. “I always said, ‘That’s going to be me (winning) one day.’”

He still had a hard time believing it when the scratch-off ticket revealed he’d won a top prize in the game.

Perry picked up his money Thursday, Aug 15, at lottery headquarters in Raleigh, and was given a choice of a $50,000 annuity over 20 years or getting a lump sum of $600,000.

He went with the lump sum, which came to $429,003 after state and federal taxes, officials said.

That’s still more than enough for a modest home and a tricked-out truck.

Perry bought the ticket at the Triton Quick Mart on East Jackson Boulevard in Erwin, where he lives. Erwin is about a 40-mile drive south from Raleigh.

The lottery game has a fun twist for players who didn’t hit the jackpot.

“Players can enter their Ultimate Dash scratch-offs in a second-chance drawing for a chance to compete in an Ultimate Dash Challenge Event,” according to lottery officials. “Participants will have 90 seconds to race through a warehouse at Charlotte Motor Speedway collecting as much merchandise as possible. One lucky player could win a prize of $2 million.”

This story was originally published August 19, 2024 at 2:56 PM with the headline "Should lottery winner buy a house or a truck? Turns out NC man has enough for both."