Christopher Springfield of Burlington will get $200,000 a year for twenty years after he won $4 million playing the $4,000,000 Diamond Dazzler scratch-off ticket.
Springfield, a manufacturing supervisor, bought the $20 ticket Monday night at the Murphy Oil USA on South Graham Hopedale Road in Burlington.
“I’d won $1,000 the week before playing the game,” Springfield said. “So I decided to try my luck on the same ticket.”
He scratched the $4,000,000 Diamond Dazzler ticket Tuesday morning.
“When I saw the ‘17’ and ‘17’ I couldn’t believe it,” Springfield said. “Let’s just say I was excited.”
Springfield got dressed and drove straight to lottery headquarters in Raleigh to claim his prize. He had the choice of taking a $4 million annuity that has 20 payments of $200,000 a year or a lump sum of $2.4 million. He chose the annuity, and received his first payment of $200,000. After required state and federal tax withholdings, he took home $141,007. He plans to use some of the money to invest in real estate.
$4,000,000 Diamond Dazzler launched in September with three top prizes of $4 million and six $1 million prizes. One $4 million and four $1 million prizes remain.
Ticket sales from games like $4,000,000 Diamond Dazzler make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $600 million a year for education. For details on how lottery funds have made a difference in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website.