Maria Gonzalez of Charlotte is celebrating her good fortune after she won $400,000 playing The Big $5 Ticket.
She bought the $5 ticket at the MMYT Food Mart on Shamrock Drive in Charlotte. She received her prize Friday afternoon.
The Big $5 Ticket launched in May with four top prizes of $400,000. One top prize remains.
Ticket sales from instant games like The Big $5 Ticket make it possible for the lottery to raise more than half a billion dollars a year for education. For details on how lottery funds have made a difference in Mecklenburg County, click on the “For Education” section of the lottery’s website.