Celena Mars of Linden had a good feeling about buying a $10 Lucky Loteria scratch-off on Saturday and her instinct paid off with a $1 million top prize.
“I’ve been following that ticket since it came out and I’ve been thinking that it’s going to hit soon,” she said.
Mars and her husband, two military veterans, stopped at the Shell on N.C. 87 South in Fayetteville for gas. After she bought the ticket, they scratched it together.
“I was like, ‘Oh my God! Oh my God!’” she said recalling her winning moment. “Then my husband took a picture of it and sent it to our kids.”
When Mars arrived at lottery headquarters Tuesday to claim her prize, she had a decision to make. She could choose to receive the 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 tax withholdings, took home $432,063.
Mars plans to use her winnings to pay bills, invest, remodel her home and save the rest.
The Lucky Loteria game debuted in March with four top prizes of $1 million. One $1 million prize remains to be claimed.
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