An Arden, N.C., man is the 31st person to win big with the Millionaire Maker game. | Erik Mclean/Unsplash
An Arden, N.C., man is the 31st person to win big with the Millionaire Maker game. | Erik Mclean/Unsplash
As most Americans are muddling through tough economic times with the stock markets going down and prices going up, Yamir Bryant just received a little boost from the state by winning a million-dollar lottery prize.
“I ran around the house screaming like a little girl,” Bryant said in a Monday N.C. Education Lottery news release, quoted by WRAL. “I thought I was hallucinating and said, ‘I’m tripping!’”
It was a welcome break from his normal routine.
Bryant said when he "once in a blue moon" plays the lottery, he typically buys the $30 ticket from the same store. On Thursday, however, he tried his luck elsewhere, buying his Millionaire Maker ticket at the CitiStop on Sweeten Road in Asheville.
When he scratched the ticket later, with his wife by his side, they saw they had won and began celebrating,
Bryant didn’t even take time to let the news set in, going to the lottery headquarters on Friday. He chose the lump sum option, getting a check for $426,069 after taxes and other withholdings.
“I always say I’m going to win $1 million,” Bryant said, whenever he picks up a ticket for his game of choice. Now he has done it.
Bryant, who is a chef, plans to use the winnings to pay off his wife’s car. The family should have plenty left over to help them relocate and to make sure they can pay for their son’s sports and other expenses for the next school year.
Millionaire Maker has been around since March 2021. Bryant is the 31st million-dollar winner.
Alerts Sign-up