Man visits 40 stores to find sole remaining $5 million scratch-off prize

UPI ^ | July 29, 2020 / 4:00 PM | Ben Hooper

[Red Badger]

July 29 (UPI) -- A North Carolina man on the hunt for the final top prize in a scratch-off lottery game said he visited about 40 different stores before scratching off the $5 million winner.

Kevin Clark of Candler told North Carolina Education Lottery officials he read there was only one top prize remaining in the $5,000,000 Mega Cash scratch-off game, so he set off Thursday to buy as many of the $20 tickets as he could locate.

"I had a real good feeling it was going to be in the western part of the state," Clark said. "I went to about 40 different stores and bought every single last Mega Cash ticket I could find."

Clark's pricey gamble paid off when he scanned a ticket he purchased from the Stop N Go on U.S. 70 in Swannanoa.

"I scanned it with my phone and it told me to go see a retailer," he recalled. "So, I scratched it off and when I scratched it off I couldn't believe it! I started shaking. And then I cried."

Clark took the option of accepting his prize as a $3 million lump sum, which amounted to $2,122,506 after taxes.

"I'm a simple man and I mow grass," Clark said. "But I've always been interested in real estate, so my biggest plans with the majority of the money is to invest in real estate and some small businesses."

[marktwain]

They just run a net present value on the distribution over time.

I wonder what ROI they are using in the calculation.

[Cooter]

Something fishy here. Inside information perhaps? I am going to set a Google Alert for this guy.

Michigan man wins $4 million lottery jackpot — for the second time.

Same last name... similar scratch-off and prize... twice!

[scrabblehack]

I haven’t bought a lottery ticket in a long time but they look like they’re just light cardboard. I don’t see any sort of magnetic strip. Maybe you’re right; on the other hand, I don’t see how winning like this is possible without some sort of inside information.

[Svartalfiar]

If this man can scan tickets for the “see retailer” message on his phone, what prevents shopkeepers from doing the same with each roll of scratch-off tickets?

You have to scratch off part of the scratchy-part to reveal the barcode to scan. So it would, obviously, be a major flag if a shop was selling tickets with those already scratched off.

Next time you buy a lotto ticket, don't do the whole thing, only scratch the game numbers part. When you give it to the cashier, you can see them scratch off the barcode area to scan and verify.

[NautiNurse]

Ah ha! Mystery solved. Thanks.

[MeganC]

“The state advertises $5 million and pays $3 million. The state would not let an individual or business do this.”

They do so all the time.

The “America’s Got Talent” TV show offers a “One Million Dollar” prize when in fact it is an annuity that will pay out $1mil over a period of 40 years...or $25,000 per year. Right now that can cost them about $600,000

Lots of outfits do this and it’s considered legal because it’s the total value of the prize being advertised.

I also think its misleading and dishonest.

[alternatives?]

I didn’t know that. Big media and Big government go hand in hand.