Wilmington man wins big with scratch-off lottery ticket
Allison Ballard
A Wilmington man has converted $20 into a big lottery prize with a scratch off ticket.
Steven Milligan bought a “$2,000,000 Riches” ticket from the Gas Center on Market Street in Wilmington and won one of the $2 million prizes, according to a news release from the North Carolina Education Lottery.
When he collected his winnings, Milligan had a choice of getting an annuity for 20 years or taking a lump sum. He chose the latter and, after state and federal taxes, he walked away with $855,006 of the $1.2 million sum.
The $2,000,000 Riches game debuted in May with four $2 million top prizes and eight $100,000 prizes. Two $2 million prizes and four $100,000 prizes haven't yet been claimed.
Ticket sales from scratch-off games raise $2.5 million a day on average for North Carolina Education Lottery. For details on how $11.5 million raised by the lottery were used in New Hanover County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.
Allison Ballard is the food and dining reporter at the StarNews. You can reach her at aballard@gannett.com.