HAYESVILLE, NC — A Georgia man is celebrating a $2 million lottery win after joining his parents for a weekend scratch-off.
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Angel Navarrete of Athens bought a $20 100X The Cash ticket with his family at The Local Market on U.S. 64 East in Hayesville, NC, according to the North Carolina Education Lottery.
Navarrete said his family regularly plays the scratch-off game on weekends, so he decided to join them.
The family bought several tickets and returned to their car, where each person randomly picked their tickets.
Navarrete started scratching his ticket and uncovered the game’s $2 million top prize.
“I was like, ‘Is this real? Am I reading this right?’” he recalled.
His parents joined him in celebrating the unexpected win.
“We were overjoyed! Emotions were running high. It was really hard to believe,” Navarrete said.
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The odds of winning the $2 million top prize were 1 in 1.54 million, according to the lottery.
Navarrete went to lottery headquarters Thursday and chose to take the $2 million prize as a lump sum rather than an annuity of $100,000 a year for 20 years.
After required state and federal tax withholdings, he received $864,126.
Navarrete said he plans to use the money to pay bills, invest and save.
The 100X The Cash scratch-off launched in January 2025 with four $2 million top prizes.
With Navarrete claiming the final top prize, the North Carolina Education Lottery said it will begin the process of ending the game.
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