18-year-old wins $1 million lottery jackpot in Raleigh after asking sister to pick a scratch-off

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Thursday, May 23, 2024
Raleigh 18-year-old wins $1 million lottery jackpot
An 18-year-old who lives in Raleigh turned $10 into $1 million thanks to a smart pick by his sister.

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- An 18-year-old who lives in Raleigh turned $10 into $1 million.

"I feel like the luckiest guy in the universe," Jalen McLean said.

McLean gave his sister some money Tuesday and asked her to pick out a scratch-off ticket for him. She chose a $10 Jumbo Bucks ticket from the Valero on South McPherson Church Road in Fayetteville.

When McLean finished scratching the ticket, he couldn't help but smile.

"He had a huge smile on his face," his sister Dasha Silas said. "Like so big. it looked like the movie character Venom."

"How many 18-year-olds win something like this?" McLean said.

McLean decided to accept his winnings as an annuity of $50,000 payments every year for 20 years, instead of taking a lump sum of $600,000.

He received his first check Wednesday. He took home $35,753 after taxes.

McLean said he plans to buy an Audi with his winnings.