Lottery players in North Carolina won more than $18.9 million in total prizes this week – and could win more than $300 million in this weekend’s Mega Millions and Powerball drawings. The estimated jackpot annuity values weigh in at $126 million for Mega Millions and $191 million for Powerball.
So, as we anticipate watching the drawings with you to find out if North Carolina scores its sixth multimillion dollar jackpot, let’s take a look at who won the biggest lottery prizes this week.
Vincent Wiggins of Rocky Mount tops the list with his $355,410 Cash 5 jackpot win in the April 27 drawing. Wiggins learned of his prize Wednesday night after hearing that the winning ticket had been purchased at the JMS Food Mart on East Raleigh Boulevard in Rocky Mount – the same store where he had purchased his ticket. “The guy said, ‘Someone here won $300,000 in the Cash 5,’” Wiggins recalled. “He said, ‘Go home and check your ticket.’ And I did.”
Two players scratched their way to six-figure wins. Out in Western North Carolina, a retired furniture factory worker from Caldwell County won $150,000 playing the Hot Streak instant game. Rex Williams of Granite Falls collected his winnings at lottery headquarters on Monday. “It’s going to be a weight off of our shoulders,” he said. “This feels great. I’m going straight to the bank.”
Close to I-95 in Harnett County, Tina Hilliard’s $100,000 win came on the Mega Bucks ticket she bought at the Kangaroo Express on Erwin Road in Dunn. “I didn’t think it was real,” the Angier resident said about the moment she scratched off the game’s top prize.
Many more players won and/or claimed prizes of $10,000 or more this week, including back-to-back Cash 5 jackpots on Tuesday and Wednesday night. Juanita Styles of Wake Forest won the $95,497 jackpot in the April 30 Carolina Cash 5 drawing. She purchased the winning ticket at the North Hills East Harris Teeter on St. Albans Drive in Raleigh. The next night, Kenneth Pruett of Stanley won the $50,000 jackpot for the May 1 drawing. He bought his lucky ticket at the Stanley Convenience Store on North Main Street in Stanley.
Two more $50,000 winners scratched off their prizes instantly. Lonzell McRae of West End in Moore County won playing Junior Big Ol’ Bucks. The other winner, Robert Palmer of High Point, won on a Red Hot Crossword ticket.
Two winning tickets for recent drawings – sold at different stores on Little Rock Road in Charlotte – have yet to be claimed. A $3 Power Play ticket worth $40,000 in the May 1 drawing was sold at Times Turn Around #31 and a $10,000-winning Mega Millions ticket for the April 26 drawing was sold at the Little Rock Food Mart.
The winner of $10,000 in the April 13 Powerball drawing claimed her prize money this week. Jean Tabor of Mooresville purchased her winning ticket at Fast Phil’s on Brawley School Road in Mooresville. About 30 miles north, just off I-77, Jacqueline Sharpe of the small town of Olin scratched off $10,000 on a MONOPOLY instant ticket. Three other players this week claimed $10,000 MONOPOLY prizes: Dexter Devone of Clinton (Duplin County), Michael Jones of Sanford (Lee County), and Alphonso David of Hamlet (Richmond County).
Three more instant game players round out the biggest wins of the week. Cassie Glover of New London in Stanly County won $20,000 playing $4,000,000 Gold Bullion. Salvador Garcia of Lumberton scratched off $10,000 playing Cash Spectacular. Last but not least, James Wynn of Windsor in Bertie County won $30,000 playing the Lucky Green game.
That about does it for this week’s big winner wrap-up. We hope everyone has a fun, safe – and maybe even lucky! – weekend. See you next time here in the Lucke-Zone.
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