Italian restaurant owner from North Carolina won $2 million with $20 scratch-off ticket

A North Carolina man’s $20 scratch-off lottery ticket led him to a hefty $2 million win.

Luigi Dimeo, from High Point, said that when he saw the first digit on the ticket, he assumed he had won $20, according to a news release from the North Carolina Education Lottery.

“I kept scratching and I couldn’t believe my eyes,” Dimeo said, according to the release. “I couldn’t even talk.”

Once he wrapped his head around what had happened, he called his wife to tell her the good news, the release said.

“She started jumping up and down,” Dimeo said. “She was so happy.”

Dimeo, a 40-year-old part owner of an Italian restaurant, was faced with a decision when he arrived Jan. 18 at lottery headquarters to claim the prize, the release said. He could take a $1.2 million lump sum, or he could take it as an annuity of $100,000 per year for the next 20 years.

He chose the latter, and he was given $71,016 after taxes on his first payment. He hopes to use the money to buy a house and possibly a rental property, the release said.

Dimeo is one of four potential winners of the Diamond Dazzler’s $2 million prize. The other three prizes are unclaimed, the release said.

This story was originally published January 19, 2022 at 3:07 PM with the headline "Italian restaurant owner from North Carolina won $2 million with $20 scratch-off ticket."