A longtime dream to buy a home for her family can now come true for Kenya Sloan of Shelby thanks to a $1 million lottery prize.
“I’ve been wanting to buy a house for like 15 years,” Sloan said.
Sloan, a 40-year-old McDonald’s manager, bought her lucky Carolina Jackpot ticket from the Curve View Express on West Warren Street in Shelby.
“My eyes got real big,” Sloan said. “I just sat there looking at it.”
Sloan said it was her first time ever playing the Carolina Jackpot game.
“I saw the little money bag and I thought I maybe won $20,” Sloan laughed. “I was just stunned.”
When Sloan arrived at lottery headquarters Thursday to collect her prize, she had a decision to make. She could choose to receive the prize as an annuity of $50,000 over 20 years or a lump sum of $600,000. She chose the lump-sum amount of $600,000 and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $426,063.
The $10 Carolina Jackpot game debuted in June with five $1 million prizes. Three $1 million prizes remain to be claimed.
Ticket sales from scratch-off games make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $2.5 million a day on average for education. The state provided $22.8 million in grants, using money raised by the lottery, to help Cleveland County with school construction. For details on other ways Cleveland County benefits from lottery funds, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.