Dawn Dildy of Jacksonville loves playing the Wheel of Bonuses digital instant game, and she loves it even more now after winning a $103,096 jackpot on Thursday.
“I play that game every day if I can,” Dildy said. “I love it.”
She played a $.50 ticket and won the top level ‘Epic jackpot’ in the Wheel of Bonuses game, a digital instant game featuring a progressive jackpot that can be won at any time. The odds of that win are 1 in 62 million.
“I always thought you probably had to play a $10 or $20 ticket to hit the jackpot,” she said.
Dildy said she still has trouble believing her luck.
“I’m still trying to wrap my brain around the fact that I won,” Dildy said. “It’s truly amazing.”
She called her daughters right after she won to tell them the good news.
“They told me I was lying,” Dildy laughed. “I had to send a screenshot. They were really happy for me.”
She claimed her prize Monday at lottery headquarters and, after required federal and state tax withholdings, took home $73,714.
Dildy said she plans to use her winnings to pay some bills.
In the Wheel of Bonuses digital instant game, a player can play from 50 cents to $30. After Dildy won the jackpot, it restarted at $50,000 and has grown to over $115,000 as of Monday afternoon.
Digital instant games are played exclusively online on the lottery’s website or on the NC Lottery Official Mobile App. Thirty-one different games are available to play online now.
For details on how $11.9 million raised by the lottery made a difference for education programs in Onslow County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.