Roxboro woman says $200,000 4th of July win ‘a whole lot better’ than fireworks

Ashley Tinnin of Roxboro’s 4th of July celebration exploded thanks to her $200,000 Mega Bucks win.

On Friday, Tinnin decided to go out on a limb a try her luck on five $5 Mega Bucks tickets. She won $50 off of the first five tickets and on the 4th stopped at the Winners Food Mart on North Madison Boulevard in Roxboro to cash in her prize.

“I sent my boyfriend in to cash it in, but he was taking so long in the store,” recalled Tinnin. She went in to see what was taking so long and picked up a few snacks, too. “I stopped to get some Pringles and a bottle of water and I went to the counter and I said, ‘Just give me two more tickets.’”

Once she was home, Tinnin scratched her tickets. “When I scratched the second ticket, I thought I just won $1,000, because I scratched it from the end and I didn’t see it,” said Tinnin. “As I got the end of it, it was $200,000, and I was like, ‘Oh, my God.”

She shared the news with her daughter and her boyfriend, who were in the next room. While her boyfriend “didn’t have any words,” her daughter was so excited. “Her thing was, ‘Now I can get a dog!’” said Tinnin.

On Monday, Tinnin claimed her prize at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After federal and state tax withholdings, she celebrated with $141,501.

Tinnin, a sterilization tech at a Triangle hospital, said her win was “a whole lot better” than fireworks. “I just felt like it was meant to be and it was a blessing to me and my family,” she said. Her plans for her winnings include “a new car, and a house, too.”