Riegelwood resident Eugene McMillan is trading rent for a mortgage after nabbing a $1 million top prize on a $10 Jumbo Bucks scratch-off, a win that left him so stunned he started ringing up family members right away to share the news. The lucky ticket, bought in Leland, immediately turned his house-hunting plans from someday into right now.
According to the NC Education Lottery, McMillan purchased his Jumbo Bucks ticket at a Minuteman Food Mart on Mercantile Drive in Leland and scratched off the game’s $1,000,000 top prize. He chose the lump-sum option of $600,000 and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, walked away with $432,063 in his pocket. The Jumbo Bucks game includes five $1,000,000 top prizes in total, and four of those are still waiting to be claimed. The retailer’s locations are listed on the Minuteman Food Mart website.
Jumbo Bucks keeps producing big paydays
The $10 Jumbo Bucks scratch-off has quietly turned into one of the state’s most attention-grabbing tickets, churning out multiple seven-figure winners across North Carolina since it launched. Recent coverage has followed big winners from Mount Olive to Pembroke, as the game keeps sending players to lottery offices instead of just back to work.
Goldsboro Daily News recently spotlighted a Mount Olive winner who also hit the $1 million top prize, along with the sudden buzz that descended on the store that sold that lucky ticket. McMillan’s win is poised to bring the same kind of extra foot traffic to the Leland Minuteman Food Mart as hopeful players chase a similar score.
Lottery proceeds and local schools
The NC Education Lottery notes that proceeds from lottery sales do more than just create instant millionaires. The agency reports that more than $67 million in grants has been directed to Columbus County school construction needs, part of its broader push to link winning tickets with classroom benefits…