Charlotte Woman Wins $1 Million in N.C. Lottery Second-Chance Drawing

Veronica Cunningham of Charlotte, North Carolina, is celebrating a life-changing win after securing the $1 million top prize in the $10 Million Spectacular Second Chance drawing, the North Carolina Education Lottery announced on Monday.

The drawing, which marked the third of four in the series, had more than 1.9 million entries and awarded one $500,000 and ten $50,000 prizes. Cunningham, who claimed her prize at lottery headquarters on Mar. 28, chose a lump sum payment of $600,000. After required state and federal tax withholdings, she took home $430,500.

“This is crazy,” she said. “It's just wild. It still hasn't set in yet that this is real.”

Cunningham plans to use her winnings to retire and pay off her home. She shared that she has entered second-chance drawings for years, hoping that one day her persistence would pay off. Now, her dreams have become reality.

Players still have a chance to win in the final $10 Million Spectacular Second Chance drawing by scanning eligible scratch-off tickets into their lottery accounts. The date for the last drawing has not yet been announced.