Wilson County mom tells kids after $4.7 million jackpot: “We are millionaires”

Cesaltina Ribeiro of Elm City immediately called her children after a $1 digital instant won her a $4.7 million jackpot on Thursday, the second largest digital instant prize in North Carolina lottery history.

“I got them on a video call and told them, ‘We are millionaires,’” she recalled.

Ribeiro, a mother of five and new grandmother, said her kids got nervous at first when she called.

“I kept yelling so they didn’t know what was going on,” she laughed.

Ribeiro was at home lying in bed when she won the top level “Grand Fortune” jackpot in the Outlaw’s Loot game. The digital instant game features a progressive jackpot that can be won at any time. The odds of that win were 1 in 50 million.

“It’s an amazing feeling,” she said. “Now I can do a lot more.”

Ribeiro claimed her prize Monday at lottery headquarters and, after required federal and state tax withholdings, took home $3,374,512.

She plans to use her winnings to invest, go on a family vacation, and buy a house for her family.

Ribeiro’s win marks the second biggest digital instant win in North Carolina since the games debuted in November of 2023. After her big win, the jackpot reset at $150,000 and has climbed over $326,000 as of Monday afternoon.

Outlaw’s Loot represents the second multi-state digital instant game offered in North Carolina, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. That means jackpots grow faster and winners could come from any of the three states.

Digital instant games are played exclusively online on the lottery’s website or on the NC Lottery Official Mobile App. Forty-eight different games are available to play online now.

A $15 million grant, using money raised by the lottery, helped Wilson County Schools build the Wilson Academy of Applied Technology. For more details on how money raised by the lottery made a difference in Wilson County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.