$1 million lottery win is a ‘once-in-a-lifetime dream’ for North Carolina man
A lottery player followed his instinct — and scored a $1 million prize in North Carolina.
“It was like a once-in-a-lifetime dream,” winner Kenneth Formyduval told the N.C. Education Lottery.
Formyduval hit the jackpot after he stopped at a Minuteman Food Mart in Whiteville, a roughly 115-mile drive south from Raleigh. While there, he felt drawn to a ticket for the Max-A-Million game.
“I just got a wild hair and decided to buy one,” the prize winner, who lives in Whiteville, told lottery officials in a May 6 news release. “Something just told me to get that ticket.”
Then, Formyduval discovered his $30 ticket won the scratch-off game’s top prize. He celebrated the good news with a co-worker.
“He gave me a fist bump,” the lucky winner told lottery officials.
Formyduval — who chose to take his prize as a lump sum of $600,000 — kept $430,508 after taxes. Now, he hopes to put the money toward his truck or a new house.
It’s not the first time someone got richer after following their intuition. Another North Carolina lottery player “trusted her gut” before she scored a big win, McClatchy News reported in April.
This story was originally published May 7, 2025 at 8:30 AM with the headline "$1 million lottery win is a ‘once-in-a-lifetime dream’ for North Carolina man."
