Nancy Ruiz of Bessemer City is celebrating after she won a $250,000 lottery prize.

Ruiz bought the winning $250,000 WIN IT ALL scratch-off ticket when she stopped at the Ingco Express Inc. on Lowell Bethesda Road in Gastonia.

Ruiz claimed her prize Wednesday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required state and federal tax withholdings, she took home $176,876.

The $5 game launched in August with four top prizes of $250,000. One top prize remains.

Ticket sales from games like $250,000 WIN IT ALL make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $700 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.