When Ashley Abee of Morganton saw zero after zero appear on his $5 scratch-off ticket, he had trouble believing he just won a $200,000 top prize.
“I saw one zero then another zero then another,” Abee recalled. “I just kept looking at it over and over again.”
Abee bought his lucky Emerald 8s ticket on Wednesday from the Walmart on North Green Street in Morganton.
“It really was overwhelming,” Abee said.
He arrived at lottery headquarters Thursday to claim his prize and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $143,001.
Abee plans to put his winnings into savings.
The Emerald 8s game debuted in December with six $200,000 top prizes. Three $200,000 prizes remain to be claimed.
Burke County received a $42 million grant, using money raised by the lottery, to help build a new elementary school. For details on other ways Burke County education programs benefit from lottery funds, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.
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