Scotland County man trusted his gut and won a $2M prize

LAURINBURG — Donnie Leviner of Laurinburg had a gut feeling he should buy a lottery ticket and his intuition paid off with a $2 million win.

“Something just told me to buy it,” he said.

Leviner, 18, said he had only bought a few lottery tickets before his $2 million win.

“I was in disbelief,” Leviner recalled. “I really didn’t think it was true.”

He bought his lucky $20 Big Cash Payout ticket from Sneads Grove Convenience on Sneads Grove Road in Laurel Hill.

“I initially just went there to fill up the lawn mower,” he laughed.

When Leviner arrived Monday to collect his prize, he had a decision to make. He could choose to receive the prize as an annuity of $100,000 over 20 years or a lump sum of $1.2 million. He chose the lump sum of $1.2 million and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $858,006.

Leviner said he hadn’t decided what to do with his winnings but he wanted to “spend it wisely.”

Big Cash Payout debuted in July with four $2 million top prizes and eight $100,000 prizes. Two $2 million prizes and five $100,000 prizes remain to be claimed.

Scotland County received $1.6 million in money raised by the lottery to help with school renovations. For details on other ways the lottery made a difference for education programs in Scotland County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.