18-year-old student wins $1million lottery after buying $10 scratch card

An American teenager is now a millionaire after winning $1million lottery

Jalen McLean, 18, won the jackpot after his sibling, Dasha Silas, bought the Jumbo Bucks ticket on his behalf on May 21.

‘He had a huge smile on his face. Like so big it looked like the movie character Venom,’ Silas told NC Education Lottery officials.

According to FOX 8, Silas purchased the ticket from Valero in Fayetteville later that night and watched her brother scratch it off.

McLean, the youngest of five siblings, gave his ticket to North Carolina Education Lottery officials and collected some of his winnings on May 22.

Although McLean requested that his sister buy him a scratch card, she was the one who decided to purchase the Jumbo Bucks ticket from the Valero on South McPherson Church Road.

The Jumbo Bucks tickets were first released on June 6, 2023, and its top prize is $1 million.

According to the NC Education Lottery website, the rules of the game are to match the scratched-off numbers with the winning numbers.

Ticket purchasers who get a 10X symbol win 10 times the prize shown for it.

McLean told NC Education Lottery officials that he feels like ‘the luckiest guy in the universe.’ 

‘How many 18-year-olds win something like this?,’ he added.

The new millionaire had the choice to walk away with $600,000 or receive his prize as an annuity of $50,000 for 20 years.  

The NC Education Lottery news release confirmed that McLean had decided to choose the yearly annuity.

It means the 18-year-old will receive $50,000 every year until his entire $1 million cash prize is paid.

Based on the annuity terms, McLean will likely receive a yearly $50,000 check until he turns 38.

He still managed to leave the NC Education Lottery headquarters on May 22 with the first payment, which after required state and federal tax withholdings, came out to $35,753.

McLean has yet to reveal everything he plans to do with the entire $1 million, but so far, he will be using some of the cash prize to buy an Audi.