North Carolina man becomes an instant millionaire with a $20 bill he found on the floor

In a truly unexpected turn of events, a North Carolina man found himself an instant millionaire after a $1 million (P58,364,500) scratch-off win, all thanks to a $20 (P1,200) bill he found on the floor.

According to North Carolina Education Lottery, Jerry Hicks, a resident of Banner Elk in the western part of the state, found the $20 in the parking lot outside the Speedway on Tuesday evening as he walked in the area. He decided to use this to buy a $25 (P1,500) Extreme Cash scratch-off ticket.

"I found $20 in the parking lot outside the Speedway. I used that to buy the ticket," he told the lottery officials.

"They actually didn't have the ticket I was looking for so I bought that one instead," he added.

Overjoyed with his win, he excitedly announced his plans to celebrate at Golden Corral, an American all-you-can-eat buffet and grill chain, by "eating everything they've got."

Hicks received his whooping prize last Friday. He chose the lump sum of $600,000 (P35,004,900) over an annuity of $50,000 (P2,913,129) for 20 years. With the latter, he is required to have state and federal tax withholdings, and he took home $429,007 or more than P25,000.

Ultimately, Hicks, who has worked as a master carpenter for 56 years, plans to use his winnings to retire and help out his children.