A lucky 20X The Cash scratch-off ticket cost Ana Melara Flores of Charlotte a night’s sleep, but paid off Tuesday with a $250,000 prize.
“I just couldn’t sleep,” Melara Flores said. “I was so excited!”
The school custodian’s good fortune happened Monday night when she got off work. She stopped by the 7-Eleven on North Tryon Street in Charlotte and bought a 20X The Cash scratch-off ticket.
“I didn’t believe it at first,” Melara Flores said. “I just kept looking at the ‘19’ and the ‘19’. I thought maybe I was seeing it wrong.”
She claimed her prize at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required state and federal tax withholdings, she took home $176,254. She plans to save the money.
The $5 ticket launched in February with eight top prizes of $250,000. Five top prizes remain
Ticket sales from instant games like 20X The Cash make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $600 million a year for education. For details on how lottery funds have made a difference in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website.