Man wins $1 million lottery with $20 bill found on ground | CNN Business

When a North Carolina man walked into a convenience store on Tuesday, he had no idea luck was on his side.

Jerry Hicks, a master carpenter at Banner Elk, found the $20 bill in the shop's parking lot, he said in a news release. He spent it on a scratch-off lottery ticket – and won $1 million.

Hicks used the money to buy an Extreme Cash scratch-off, according to the release.

“They didn't actually have the ticket I was looking for so I bought it instead,” he said.

Hicks claimed his prize Friday at North Carolina Education Lottery headquarters. He chose to take a lump sum award of $600,000 instead as an annuity over 20 years, according to the release.

After taxes, Hicks took home $429,007, according to the lottery.

Hicks plans to use the money to help his children and retire after 56 years as a carpenter, the release said.

But before that, Hicks wants to enjoy his victory.

“We'll go straight to the Golden Corral and eat everything they have,” he said.

correction: An earlier version of this story misspelled Banner Elk's name.