Santana McCoy of Engelhard sat at home Saturday playing digital instants when out of the blue she landed a $219,685 jackpot.
“I thought it was a dream,” she said.
When McCoy realized it was not a dream but reality, she started to celebrate.
“I jumped up and hollered,” she laughed. “My son came running.”
McCoy then showed her son and the rest of her family what just happened.
“They said, ‘No wonder you are yelling,’” she recalled.
McCoy wagered $5 and won the top level ‘Epic jackpot’ in the Bison Bonanza game. The digital instant game features a progressive jackpot that can be won any time. The odds of that win are 1 in 6.2 million.
“That’s my favorite game,” McCoy said. “It’s always the first game I play.”
She claimed her prize Tuesday at lottery headquarters and, after required federal and state tax withholdings, took home $157,626.
“The first thing I’m going to do is fix up my house,” McCoy said.
She also plans to buy a car for her and her son and save the rest of her winnings “for a rainy day.”
In the Bison Bonanza digital instant game, a player can play from 50 cents to $30. After Mccoy won the jackpot, it restarted at $50,000 and has grown to over $71,000 as of Tuesday afternoon.
Digital instant games are played exclusively online on the lottery’s website or on the NC Lottery Official Mobile App. Fifty-six different games are available to play online now.
The N.C. Education Lottery’s Play Smart™ program helps North Carolinians make the most of their lottery play. Visit ncplaysmart.com to learn about all things lottery, from tips on how odds work to how to enter bonus drawings.
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Congratulations ?????? so happy for you.