Carteret County man turns $10 scratch-off ticket into $1M

RALEIGH, N.C. (WITN) - A Carteret County man has turned a $10 scratch-off ticket into $1 million.

Jerry Cooper of Newport said he bought a 50X The Cash ticket from Waves Mart & Grill on N.C. 24 in Newport. After seeing his win, he called his wife immediately to share the news.

“I told her, ‘You’re not going to believe this. I think we just won a million bucks,’” Cooper said. “She thought I was joking.”

Lottery officials say that Cooper brought his winning ticket to lottery headquarters in Raleigh on Tuesday, where he decided to go with a lump sum payout of $427,503 after required state and federal tax withholdings.

“It’s been kind of surreal for us,” Cooper said. “It’s just a blessing all the way around.”

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