Denise Guadeloupe of Douglasville, Ga., said she’s planning a big Christmas for her four children and 11 grandchildren after she won $150,000 on a Thanksgiving road trip.
“We were just passing through,” Guadeloupe said. “My husband and I were on our way back from New York after spending the holiday with my children and grandbabies.”
Guadeloupe’s good fortune happened when her husband stopped to get gas at the Hillsborough Family Fare on N.C. 86 South in Hillsborough. While he pumped, she went and bought a Holiday Cash scratch-off ticket.
“I always stop and get scratch-off tickets when I’m traveling,” Guadeloupe said. “That’s part of what makes road trips so fun.”
She didn’t scratch the $5 ticket until she got back home to Georgia.
“I had to grab my glasses to make sure I was seeing the numbers right,” Guadeloupe said. “I started acting like a kid. I went around the house screaming. It feels amazing. Dreams really do come true!”
Guadeloupe drove back to North Carolina Friday to claim her prize at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required state and federal tax withholdings, she took home $105,753. She plans to use the money to give her family an extra special Christmas.
“I’ve been blessed with two boys and two daughters,” Guadeloupe said. “They’re all grown now, but they’re still my babies and I want to make sure they have a wonderful Christmas.”
Holiday Cash launched in November with four top prizes of $150,000. One top prize remains.
Ticket sales from games like Holiday Cash make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $650 million a year for education. For details on how lottery funds have made a difference in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website.
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