Johnston County couple wins $1 million with lottery scratch-off ticket
A Triangle couple is $1 million richer after they found a diamond while playing a North Carolina lottery scratch-off.
Gerald and Phyllis Callahan beat the one in 1.1 million odds on Thursday when their Diamond Dazzler proved to be a winning ticket, according to the North Carolina Education Lottery.
The Callahans bought their instant lottery ticket for $20 from the Handy Mart on Wilson’s Mills Road in Smithfield, the agency said in a written statement. The couple realized they had won and went to lottery headquarters to claim their prize.
The couple was offered a choice between a $1 million annuity that provides 20 payments of $50,000 a year or a lump sum of $600,000.
The Callahans chose the lump sum and split the prize to take $300,000 each. After state and federal tax withholdings, they each received $211,506.
The $4 million Diamond Dazzler game started in September 2017 with three $4 million top prizes and six $1 million prizes. One $4 million prize and two $1 million prizes remain to be claimed.
The ticket sales from instant lottery games helps the North Carolina Education Lottery raise more than $650 million a year for education.
