18-Year-Old In Raleigh Becomes Instant Millionaire

I feel like this is a week where The North Carolina Education Lottery has been full of fascinating stories. First there was the story of Craig Adolff of Kernersville, North Carolina, who matched all five balls in the Mega Millions, and won $4 million. Then there was Daniel Greenan of Mooresville who turn $20 into two million with a scratch off ticket. And now, there's Jalen McLean of Raleigh. He's an 18-year-old Raleigh man who won $1 million.

I've got to tell you; I was a bit taken aback. I'm used to reading about guys like Craig and Daniel winning jackpots from the North Carolina Education Lottery. They are grown men. Grown men play the lottery. I don't know if I've ever seen someone I would characterize as a "young man" or "young adult" even buy a ticket. Now wait, I guess technically, Jalen didn't buy the ticket. According to ABC 11, he gave his sister some money Tuesday and asked her to pick out a scratch-off ticket for him. She chose a $10 Jumbo Bucks ticket from the Valero on South McPherson Church Road in Fayetteville

It should come as no surprise that upon scratching off the ticket, Jalen McLean had an ear-to-ear smile on his face. I mean, c'mon...WHAT 18-year-old man who won $1 million in the lottery WOULDN'T have an enormous smile on his face?! Do you remember being 18?

Now this final part of the story is the one that I find most interesting. When Craig Adolff and Daniel Greenan win lottery windfalls, they take the lump sum option. Age has a way of reminding a man that anything can happen, and no one is promised tomorrow. For Jalen McLean, there are no such thoughts. He's an 18-year-old man who just won $1 million in the lottery, you've got nothing but time in front of you. So, McLean took the annuity option. He'll collect $50,000 a year for the next 20 years.

Check number one, after taxes, was worth $35,753. Jalen McLean, the 18-year-old man who just won $1 million in the lottery is taking that money and buying an Audi. No word on if he cut his sister in on his windfall.

There are some states that are luckier than others. There is no doubt about it. North Carolina made the list of 15 lucky states in the United States, according to OLBG. Everyone has fantasized about winning the lottery, whether it's the Mega Millions or the Powerball. Whether you're planning a lavish vacation, buying a house, treating a loved one, giving to charity, or all of the above, when we buy a ticket we always have a little bit of hope and our imaginations go wild when we hear about the unclaimed winning ticket...

When it comes to winning big on the lottery, which states are the luckiest? To determine where in America has the greatest likelihood of winning the big bucks, OLBG analyzed all lottery winners in the U.S. with a jackpot of $300 million or more. You can see the top 15 states below.

California was ranked 12th luckiest state despite having the highest number of big lottery winners, primarily because the state has such a large population that there are very few lottery winners, and the average winning ticket for a California winner is only $190.5 million.

North Carolina has won a whopping $1.1 billion between both lottery winners, making its average winning ticket $550 million, the highest in the country. As a result of its higher population, North Carolina didn't quite capture the title by itself, with a lower percentage of its population winning than New Hampshire.

In terms of lottery jackpot winners, New Hampshire and North Carolina share the gold for the luckiest states. Residents in New Hampshire have won a total of $693.7 million, which is an average of $346.85 million per winning ticket. As one of the states with the highest percentage of people who have won over $300 million, New Hampshire has the third smallest population.