Donna Smith of Huntersville could barely contain her excitement Sunday morning after winning a $700,000 top prize.
“I thought I was going to have a heart attack,” she laughed. “I had to calm myself down.”
Smith bought her lucky $10 Triple 777 ticket from the Run-In on Gilead Road in Huntersville.
“That was just what my mind told me to buy,” she recalled.
Smith said she loves to buy scratch-offs and has been playing the lottery for years.
“That’s how I like to entertain myself,” she said.
She arrived at lottery headquarters Monday to collect her prize and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $500,503.
“I’m just happy to be here,” she said after receiving her big check.
Smith said she plans to use her winnings to pay off her house and car. She also plans to donate some money to her church and help out her family.
For details on how $59.2 million raised by the lottery made a difference for Mecklenburg County education programs last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.