Charlotte woman wins $1 million scratch-off prize

Stephenie Cunningham of Charlotte took a chance on a $30 Max-A-Million ticket and won a $1 million top prize.

She bought her lucky ticket from the Quik Trip on Burton Lane in Cornelius.

Cunningham arrived at lottery headquarters Monday to claim the prize. When she arrived, she had a choice to make. She could choose to receive the prize as an annuity of $50,000 over 20 years or a lump sum of $600,000. She chose the lump sum of $600,000 and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $432,068.

Max-A-Million debuted in March 2025 with 25 $1 million prizes. Twelve remain to be claimed. The odds of winning the $1 million prize are 1 in 363,970.

Education programs in Mecklenburg County received $60 million in support from lottery funds last year. For details on how lottery funds have made a difference in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website.