BENSON – Michael Morgan of Benson gave his wife a lottery ticket to scratch before dinner and, after uncovering a $1 million prize, he no longer cared about food.
“I lost my appetite right then,” he laughed. “I couldn’t eat.”
He bought the lucky $10 Multiplier Mania ticket from Liberty Mart 1 on North Ellis Avenue in Dunn. Morgan said he scratched one ticket while his wife scratched another.
“She said to me, ‘You need to check this,’” he recalled.
His wife handed him the ticket and he looked it over, realizing he had a winner.
“We were both just tickled,” Morgan said. “We couldn’t believe it.”
When Morgan arrived at lottery headquarters Monday, he had a decision to make. He could choose to receive the prize as an annuity of $50,000 over 20 years or a lump sum of $600,000. He chose the lump sum of $600,000 and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $429,003.
Morgan, a truck driver, said he already knows how he wants to spend part of his winnings.
“I’d like to buy my own 18-wheeler,” he said.
Multiplier Mania debuted in June with six $1 million top prizes. Four $1 million prizes remain to be claimed.
