Tonya Carter of Warrenton rarely plays the lottery, but she gave it a try on Thursday and won a $1 million top prize.
“I’ve only played the lottery once or twice before,” she said. “My friends did always tell me that if I played, I would be the one to win.”
Carter, a high school teacher, decided to buy a ticket to help pay for a medical procedure.
“I’m going to have surgery next week, so I wanted to try to get some extra money to help with that,” Carter said.
She bought her lucky $10 Jumbo Bucks ticket from On The Mark on U.S. 158 Business West in Warrenton.
“I didn’t believe it,” Carter recalled. “I’m still in shock.”
When Carter arrived at lottery headquarters Friday, she had a decision to make. She could choose to receive her prize as an annuity of $50,000 over 20 years or a lump sum of $600,000. She chose the lump sum of $600,000 and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $430,503.
In addition to her surgery, Carter plans to use her winnings to help move.
The Jumbo Bucks game debuted in August with eight $1 million top prizes. Three $1 million prizes remain to be claimed.
Warren County has received state grants totaling $42 million from monies raised by the lottery to help build a new elementary school. For details on other ways money raised by the lottery made a difference in Warren County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.
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