An American won a million in the lottery out of boredom: how he will spend the money

According to glavcom.ua: Matthew Shepherd from Burnsville, North Carolina, became the lucky owner of a prize of $952,821 after winning in a digital instant lottery. He said he decided to try his luck 'just out of boredom' and it paid off.

On November 26, 2025, Shepherd bought a lottery ticket worth $5 and emerged as the jackpot winner. The man won in the Monopoly game, where the odds of such a win were 1 in 10 million.

'I was just killing time out of boredom... When the game stopped on the jackpot, I thought: 'This cannot be happening'' - Shepherd told lottery representatives.

After taxes, he received $683,651 and plans to invest some of the money and possibly buy a new pickup truck. It is worth noting that Monopoly is an interstate game with growing jackpots.

Support for education from the lottery

The NC Education Lottery has raised over $11 billion since its inception in 2006 to support education. In 2024 alone, the lottery donated over $1 billion for school repairs, free preschool education, and other needs in the state.

In early December, Shepherd received his winnings at the lottery headquarters and is already dreaming of future investments and buying a car. The government is also making changes to the rules for lottery operators to improve the industry.

Matthew Shepherd won nearly a million dollars in the lottery, playing 'just out of boredom'. This unexpected win was a pleasant surprise for him, and now he plans to spend the money wisely, investing part of it, and perhaps even buying a new car. The lottery, meanwhile, continues to support education, raising funds for school repairs and other educational needs in North Carolina and making changes to the rules of the game to improve the industry's operation.