Contributed

Kevin Yang of Matthews knows when to try his luck at draw games like Mega Millions and that insight paid off to the tune of a $1 million win.

Yang knew he had to buy a ticket in the May 5 drawing when he saw that the jackpot was over $200 million. He bought his Quick Pick ticket at Plaza Sundries II on East Trade Street in Charlotte.

“I don’t believe it,” he said of his big win. “I am so excited!”

Yang claimed his prize at lottery headquarters in Raleigh on Monday. After federal and state tax withholdings, he took home $707,501. He says he will use some of this money to pay off his house and some bills but more importantly, “this will make it easier to retire” sooner rather than later.

Yang matched all five white balls in the drawing and beat odds of 1 in 12.6 million. The jackpot now climbs to $274 million as an annuity prize or $221.8 million cash for Tuesday’s drawing.

Ticket sales from draw games like Mega Millions make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $700 million per year for education. For details on how $59.5 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Mecklenburg County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.