‘All I could do was cry,’ South Carolina woman says of winning $1 million prize

November 19, 2018 Posted by NC Lottery at 9:37 AM

For Latoshia Milton of Blythewood, S.C., a family road trip took an unexpected turn when she won a $1 million lottery prize.

Milton’s good fortune started Friday morning when her husband stopped for gas at the Shopton Commons BP on Steele Creek Road in Charlotte. While he was pumping, Milton went inside and bought a $1,000,000 Back Scratch scratch-off ticket. She got into the car and started scratching.

“I saw the matching numbers and stopped scratching,” Milton said. “I opened the door and told my husband, ‘Babe. I think we won something.’ All I could do was cry we just sat there hugging each other.”

They made a U-turn and headed to lottery headquarters in Raleigh to claim their prize. Milton had the choice of taking an annuity that has 20 payments of $50,000 a year or a lump sum of $600,000. She chose the lump sum. After required state and federal tax withholdings, she took home $423,009. She plans to use the money to pay off her mortgage and car payments.

“Those are the main stresses,” Milton said. “That’s a huge burden lifted. It’s such a relief.”

The $10 ticket launched in September with five top prizes of $1 million. Three top prizes remain.

Ticket sales from games like $1,000,000 Back Scratch make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $650 million a year for education. For details on how lottery funds are making a difference in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website.

49 COMMENTS

11/27/2018 12:52 - Marylyn O.

Congratulations, i am next

11/27/2018 10:01 - Mary H.

congratulations :)

11/26/2018 08:49 - Roger K.

congrats, come to NC and win big! what luck you have!

11/26/2018 06:13 - Janette B.

Sounds like the money blessing came at one of the best times for you and your family. I’m very happy for you’ll and enjoy.

11/25/2018 05:44 - Berry B.

Congrats to you!!

11/25/2018 05:09 - Patricia M.

Congratulations

11/25/2018 01:17 - Jennnifer L.

Congrats that's what I would do if I won like you did. You and your family are truly blessed.

11/24/2018 05:38 - Kelvin O.

One day my time is coming am so happy for you

11/22/2018 07:13 - monica e.

Congratulations ????

11/22/2018 09:17 - Dorothea K.

I Would Like To Win Somerthing !!! I play all the time and Enter Drawings Online .... I know there has to be a way that you see people that pay all the time and enter there tickets to play online ...

11/22/2018 07:33 - Henry T.

Word of advise, when you do win. Remember you will have to file your federal return and you will own them more money, while this lucky coupe received a check for $423k they will owe extra taxes in 2019, don't get trapped.NC Lottery
Hi Henry, when a winner receives a large prize, state and federal taxes are withheld on the amount. However, we do advise all winners to consult a tax professional on their individual situation as well.

11/22/2018 06:32 - Elizabeth C.

Tears of Joy??.... congrats to you and your family, greetings from Bladen County. I'm playing, hoping I'll win just like you did to repair my home destroyed by hurrcane Florence. I'm keeping the faith ????????

11/21/2018 10:08 - Dorothea K.

I Wish Someone Could Win Big Off Of Dallas Cherryville Highway ... None of our stores or Gas Station In This Area Has Everyone Big ..I play all the time and at all places . No one has won big here at all ??. Can we get some winners over here in this area please ???

11/21/2018 02:41 - Deatrice G.

I have entered over 100 times for the creepy cash second chance and still didn't win I'm in a small area so I guess it shows but I have been playing second chance entries for a few years now and still have not won not 1brown penny

11/21/2018 11:41 - nc s.

I'm just trying to make everyone aware the lottery is not truly random you can believe what you want. If you're going to play play wisely and don't continue to line the pockets of the higher ups while they dictate where to spread the winnings. Play a dollar quick pick and you never know the computer may be programmed for your area that night. NC Lottery
Hi NC S. as we've mentioned on your other comments, the random number generator used to pick Quick Picks is completely random. After all player picks are in and purchases stop, the Cash 5 numbers are then drawn live and televised in the WRAL studio. It is impossible for any person or any computer to know what numbers are being drawn or where a winning ticket may be located.

11/20/2018 07:25 - James J.

Why do so many people complain when someone wins in Charlotte or Triangle area???? Its a game of chance the more chances that are taken such as these areas with higher populations mathematically means there will be more winners! Folks a million dollar ticket can be found anywhere in this state. It is just the luck of the draw. You win some you lose some, if everyone who buys a ticket win there would be no lottery. If the NCEL makes you upset or you think its rigged simply quit playing!!!!!!

11/20/2018 05:58 - Charlene W.

Maybe when us poor folk quit playing then the rich quit getting richer

11/20/2018 05:55 - Charlene W.

Blah Blah Blah- same old same old winning locations.The smaller and rural areas are the ones making the bigger cities rich. Let’s not leave out Durham, Fayetville, Greensboro and Raleigh. Everyone knows the true facts to the true fiction but yet we all continue to pay for that miracle. If everyone would win million dollars from the lotto with scratch offs and draw games we could benefit each other but unfortunately they get rich off the poor. I’m in a rural area myself and have always felt same way.NC Lottery
Hi Charlene, the odds of winning are the same for every location, every time you play the lottery. More winning tickets are sold in higher density population areas simply because many more people buy many more tickets in those places. The important thing to remember is that every ticket has the same chance of winning as every other ticket.

11/20/2018 05:46 - Charlene W.

@NC S- RIGHT ON!!

11/20/2018 04:42 - Maurice H.

Bless you!

11/20/2018 12:11 - Ethel P.

Congratulations. Happy holidays!!

11/20/2018 11:56 - Sarah B.

@NC S.: Hi NC, The idea that the lottery controls where the winning tickets end up is simply not true. We have strict security measures in place to ensure that the first person who knows where the winning ticket is the lucky person who bought it. In a perfect world, we would love for each and every prize in a game to be sold, but extenuating circumstances like theft, store closings, or natural disasters can hinder that.

11/20/2018 11:31 - nc s.

You can be gullible all you want but the fact is the Lottery is a controlled environment. Your store may have tons of small winning tickets sold but a majority of large winning tickets 75,000 and up are sent to the same area at the control of the Lottery officials. Look at the data. Also look at all the scratch off games that end with massive amounts of winners that never got distributed. They base there odds in winning of all printed tickets knowing these tickets will never go out to the public but still use this deceitful practice. How many games have ever sold all tickets? None, so why continue after all these years to use this false information to persuade the consumer to buy their goods? MONEY. The lottery says in runs off integrity-please anyone look up the definition. If you're going play play smart and set a fixed amount you can financially afford because the odds are more against you than stated.NC Lottery
Hi NC, Please see our response above!

11/20/2018 10:29 - Denver G.

Barry J, I agree with you 100% !!! I'll use a example of my town, 5 miles long end to end. Store on 1 end has a huge display of tickets and takes debit cards , sells over 1000 tickets a day. Other end of town store has very small display and refuses to take debit cards, sells under 100 tickets a day. Guess which store sells more big winning tickets. Hey, you guessed it. THE ONE THAT SELL MORE TICKETS!!!

11/20/2018 10:13 - Barry J.

It`s really a simple solution to why larger population areas win more times than rural or small towns. In larger population areas, there are more people to buy the tickets, so therefore the tickets in the larger population areas have to be replenished more often because more tickets are being sold and used up, thus increasing the chance of a winning ticket showing up in a larger populated area. If a large populated area has to replenish its` tickets more often than small town & rural areas then more tickets are going to go there. (EX) If a large area uses 10,000 rolls of tickets in a given amount of time and a smaller area uses 1,000 rolls, therein lies your "odds."

11/20/2018 09:07 - Sarah B.

@NC S.: The lottery has a responsibility to all who choose to play the lottery in NC. That is why scratch-off tickets are distributed at random using a secure process and not a single person can dictate where the winning tickets end up. We can assure you that nobody knows where the winning tickets are until the lucky person scratches it! Sometimes winning tickets show up at busy stores, sometimes they show up in small ones. Sometimes winning tickets show up in big cities, sometimes they show up in rural areas. Over time, you will see that winning tickets are won all over the state. Because it's random, there's no control over where those tickets show up. We want players in small towns to win just as much as players in big cities. Everyone deserves--and has--the same chance a winning a big prize as anyone else. The reality is that to win a prize, big or small, it just takes a little bit of luck!

11/20/2018 05:52 - Art R.

Congratulations.

11/20/2018 01:00 - nc s.

Notice how NC Lottery's response to the same concern about the same areas always winning is the population is larger. If the NC lottery was truly random it wouldn't matter the size of the population each area would have the same chance. Also the lottery chooses were those winning scratch off tickets are distributed and they continue to send them to the same areas. You could buy unheard of amounts in your area but if NC Lottery isn't distributing them there your not going to win. They'll tell you they tickets are sent out to random areas but you tell me a billion dollar business that doesn't keep inventory as a safety precaution. Also look at the areas with the most wins and it's odd that they're from areas were all the NC Lottery commissioners have resided. They are clearly dictating were they want the winnings to go. NC Lottery
Hi NC, Please see our reply above. Thanks!

11/20/2018 12:35 - Matthew K.

Congrats and you all claiming Charlotte has more is correct. All of the states do this, look at Florida's big Gold Rush scratch winners and where they are located, in the big cities. Ok yes the populations are larger, but if this was truly random, it wouldn't matter, the tickets wouldn't even be in those large cities, no matter how many people there are. So lets wait and see how many of the 10 million prizes and 1 million from colossal cash come from big cities or not. NC Lottery
In cities like Charlotte, loads more people live and play the lottery there--there are simply more tickets being sold each day. If you see that somebody won a big prize playing the lottery in Charlotte, it does not mean that tickets are placed there or they have an easier shot at winning. The truth is it takes a lot of luck to win a prize, big or small, no matter where you live. Good luck to you.

11/19/2018 11:13 - Debra B.

Congrats again to the top prize winners in the big cities. I understand the dynamics of bigger populations and more people playing but it sure would be nice to see someone in our little small town rural communities where I play win a top prize. Been playing a long time but getting discouraged when break even is the best you can do. Starting to play less and less. I guess the saying it is what it is and decide to play when you feel like taking a chance. A very small chance ! NC Lottery
You are right in that you should play only when you feel like taking the chance, but it's important to remember that your chance of winning will be the same, no matter if you buy your ticket in the gas station near your home or at a gas station in a big city. What rural community do you live in, Debra? We can take a look and share some of the past big winners near you.

11/19/2018 11:06 - Michelle S.

Congratulations, I’m happy for you guys, God Bless!

11/19/2018 10:30 - Douglas H.

WONDERFUL news. Congratulations to the Milton Family. God bless you all

11/19/2018 04:18 - Schmeka w.

Linda you are right another winner from charlotte if you want to win 1 million or 200,000 you have to go to charlotte because thats where all the winners are from. the lady from customer service at the lottery headquaters was right about the reason there are more winners in Charlotte she said cause its a bigger population and more people playing. stop waisting your money on scratch off unless you are going to go to Charlotte to buy a ticket what a rip off NCEL

11/19/2018 03:39 - annie s.

congradulations! you did the right thing to take care of anything that is a stress. may god continue to bless you.

11/19/2018 03:25 - Oriental S.

Congrats on your new success.

11/19/2018 03:14 - Linda D.

I am happy for them. I must say though that as I constantly check million dollar winners there are more from Charlotte than any other place. The tickets has to be sent there in order for million dollar winners and they get the most hits. I know there are winners from all over but not as many million dollar winners as Charlotte. NC Lottery
Hey Linda, Folks ask about this quite often, so we wanted to share a little info with everyone! Anywhere where more people are taking a chance to win—like Charlotte—over time you'll see a larger amount of both winning and non-winning tickets in proportion with the odds. That has no effect on the likelihood of a particular ticket winning or not winning a prize. Your odds will remain the same no matter where you are.

11/19/2018 02:40 - Janette B.

Congrat”s and what a wonderful blessing.

11/19/2018 01:51 - Gregory F.

Congratulations on your great blessing from GOD. Enjoy your blessing this is great especially this time of the year to come into that amount of money. Another big winner in Charlotte there have been a lot of big winners there. Wish I could win something big I'm in a lot of debt and to win something big would also be a big stress relief for me to.

11/19/2018 01:36 - Aquawanda A.

Congratulations...I pray daily that my day come.

11/19/2018 01:25 - donald g.

NEVER ANYONE IN BURLINGTON OR EVEN NEAR THERE!!!!NC Lottery
Hey Donald! We've seen lots of big winners in your area! Here's a link to a quick search for some of the past big winners from Burlington and Alamance County: http://bit.ly/2QSIYTG

11/19/2018 01:08 - james p.

lets have a winner in jacksonville n.c.

11/19/2018 11:46 - Denver G.

NICE!!! Congrats. Happy Happy Joy Joy. Debt free is a wonderful way to be. Enjoy your bounty and the Holidays.

11/19/2018 11:43 - Emma B.

Blessings come in all ways!!

11/19/2018 10:54 - Gary C.

Congratulations on your big win. Paying off your house and car are excellent choices for the winnings and will provide a lifetime of blessings.

11/19/2018 10:40 - Raquel H.

Happy happy, congratulations

11/19/2018 10:25 - Michael B.

Congratulations!

11/19/2018 10:06 - Shauntia R.

Happy for guys hopefully one day i win

11/19/2018 10:04 - jackie w.

Congratulations Latashia, you certainly received an unexpected blessing.

11/19/2018 09:55 - frank eric l.

wow...always glad to see good people win

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‘All I could do was cry,’ South Carolina woman says of winning $1 million prize

November 19, 2018 Posted by NC Lottery at 9:37 AM