A man who went to treat himself with a bag of doughnuts has won the USD 1 million jackpot after buying a USD 10 scratch-off ticket.

Jay Mays, 55, from the town of Selma, Johnston County, in the US state of North Carolina, said he had a feeling about a big win for a lottery prize on his way to the store.

So he stopped off to buy a USD 10 (GBP 8.8) Carolina Jackpot scratch-off ticket at the 42 Express Food Mart and Grill on N.C. 42 East in the town of Middlesex, Nash County in October 2022.

Mays told local media: “I’ve been getting close lately and I told my wife I was destined to win soon.”

After he scratched off the ticket, Mays was astonished to realise he had hit the jackpot.

He then stormed out of the house and went for a run to celebrate the jackpot.

He said: “When I saw I won, I threw it at my wife, took off out the door and started running down the street.

“I was doing sprints running back and forth down the street.”

Mays walked away with a USD 426,063 (GBP 378,000) check after federal and state taxes as he choose the lump-sum payout on his winnings.

There are two more USD 1 million prizes remaining to be claimed after the USD 10 Carolina Jackpot game started in June.