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A North Carolina man is celebrating a lottery win that will keep his prize going for years and years.
Luigi Dimeo, of High Point, recently tried his luck at the North Carolina lottery, picking up a $20 Diamond Dazzler scratch-off ticket from the Quick Mart on East Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, according to a release from the NC Education Lottery.
As he scratched off the ticket and saw the numbers emerging, he thought he would just win enough to cover the cost of the ticket; that is, until he took a closer look.
"I saw the two at the beginning and figured it was another $20 win," he said. "I kept scratching and I couldn't believe my eyes. I couldn't even talk."
Dimeo told lottery officials that he called to tell his wife the lucky news, after regaining his composure of course. His wife, however, was so excited she could hardly contain it.
"She started jumping up and down," said Dimeo. "She was so happy."
Dimeo claimed his $2 million prize at lottery quarters on Tuesday (January 18) but was faced with an important decision: He could either accept the prize as a one time, lump sump payment of $1.2 million or he could receive the prize as an annuity of $100,000 per year over the course of 20 years. In the end, he chose the latter and took home his first payment of $71,016, after taxes.
When asked what he plans to do with his new winnings, Dimeo told lottery officials he hopes to buy a house and rental property.