Last Updated on February 11, 2017 6:06 pm
*Information provided by the North Carolina Education Lottery*
A $1 million Ultimate Millions win means Bobby Hite of Deep Gap will get $50,000 every year for twenty years. “It will be nice to have this,” Hite said. “And know that my family is taken care of.”
Hite bought the $30 ticket Sunday night when he stopped by the Food Lion on Old U.S. 421 South in Boone. When he started scratching, he couldn’t believe what he saw. “I scratched the one, and then came the ‘M’,” Hite said. “I was like, ‘This isn’t real. Is this really happening?’”
It was happening, and Hite claimed his prize Thursday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. Hite had the choice of taking a $1 million annuity that has 20 payments of $50,000 a year or a lump sum of $600,000. He chose the annuity, and after federal and state tax withholdings received his first payment of $34,759. Hite recently retired as an IT specialist, and plans to use the money for retirement.
Ultimate Millions launched in September 2015 with four top prizes of $10 million and 18 prizes of $1 million. One top prize and two $1 million prizes remain.
Ticket sales from games like Ultimate Millions made it possible for the lottery to raise more than $634 million for the state last year. For details on how lottery funds have made a difference in Watauga County visit this article.
