A “great Christmas” got even better for Kelly McGee of Coats when two days before Christmas Day a $5 scratch-off turned into an early gift of $200,000.
“I was speechless,” said McGee. “I felt numb.”
After buying the “7” ticket from the Bass Country Store on N.C 27 East in Coats on Thursday, McGee scratched the ticket in the parking lot and her husband took it inside to see if it was a winner.
“He ran out to tell me we won, but I didn’t believe him,” said McGee. “I still don’t believe it.”
The cafeteria manager and her husband, a retired construction worker, collected their prize Tuesday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required federal and state withholdings, they took home $141,501.
“We’re so blessed and thankful,” said McGee. “This will help us with the retirement we deserve.”
With their winnings, the couple plan to add money to their retirement fund, pay off a car, and buy land. “We won’t have to worry about anything, but paying the light bill,” she said.
Ticket sales from scratch-off games make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $900 million per year for education. For details on how $8.1 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Harnett County in 2020, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.