A $10 scratch-off ticket led to life-changing jackpot prize for one NC lottery player

A woman in southeastern North Carolina beat odds of 1 in 1,354,380 to be the first jackpot winner in the aptly named $1,000,000 Money Rush game.

Barbara Jenkins, of Richlands, paid $10 for the scratch-off ticket, which means she got a $100,000 return for every buck she spent.

Jenkins made the trip from Onslow County to Raleigh Thursday, Jan. 23, to cash in her ticket, and it came with a tough choice, the N.C. Education Lottery said in a Jan 24 news release.

She could either get a lump-sum check or take the more patient approach of annual checks of $50,000 over 20 years.

The difference goes beyond instant gratification.

Choose the lump sum and you only get 40 to 50% of your winnings, but you get to invest big and eliminate debts fast, experts say.

Go for the annuity and you have guaranteed income for decades, and “more money in the long run,” Annuity.org reports.

So what did Jenkins do?

“She chose the lump sum of $600,000 and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $430,503,” the lottery reported.

It’s the choice most big winners make, officials said.

Jenkins bought the ticket at the Sunoco Mini Mart on Cedar Creek Road in Fayetteville, about a 65-mile drive south from Raleigh.

This story was originally published January 24, 2025 at 1:27 PM with the headline "A $10 scratch-off ticket led to life-changing jackpot prize for one NC lottery player."