Gaston County teenager wins $1 million in lottery after grandpa's prediction

A Gaston County man scratched off a $1 million lottery win.

Dalton Radford, 18, of Dallas, said he plans to save most of his winnings, but he did tell lottery officials he does plan to buy a new pickup truck.

“I think I’ll buy a brand-new Silverado,” said Radford.

Dalton, who works in public works, stopped Friday afternoon at Will's Food Store III on Dallas High Shoals Road in Dallas for a drink.

“I left work and was going to my second job,” said Radford. “I stopped for a White Monster drink and two Carolina Jackpot tickets.”

He checked his tickets in the parking lot and discovered his win.

“I thought, ‘Hey! I just won a million dollars,’” said Radford. “I called my mom, dad, and grandpa. Everyone was happy.”

Radford said his win came after his grandpa made an interesting prediction.

“He said I would win $1 million two weeks ago,” recalled Radford.

When he arrived at lottery headquarters Tuesday to collect his prize, he had a decision to make. He could choose to receive the prize as an annuity of $50,000 over 20 years or a lump sum of $600,000. Radford chose the lump-sum amount of $600,000 and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $426,063.

Players get a second chance with their Carolina Jackpot tickets by scanning the tickets into their lottery accounts where they are automatically entered into a second-chance drawing. The grand finale drawing features a top prize of $200,000.

The $10 Carolina Jackpot game debuted in June with five $1 million prizes. One $1 million prize remains to be claimed.

Ticket sales from scratch-off games make it possible for the lottery to raise $2.5 million a day on average for education. For details on how $14.9 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Gaston County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.

You can reach Kevin Ellis at 704-201-7016 or email him at Kellis@GastonGazette.com.