Shirley Wakefield of Gastonia played her favorite lottery game on Tuesday morning and won the first $150,000 top prize in the new Loteria Grande game.
“It was very overwhelming,” she said.
Wakefield bought her lucky $5 scratch-off from Highland Mini Mart on North Highland Street in Gastonia. The first thing she did was show her boyfriend the winning ticket.
“I was like, ‘Look I won!’” Wakefield recalled.
She arrived at lottery headquarters Tuesday to claim her prize and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $108,016.
Wakefield said she plans to use her winnings to, “bless those that I love.”
The Loteria Grande game debuted in August with five $150,000 top prizes. Four $150,000 prizes remain to be claimed.
Education programs in Gaston County received $14.2 million in support from lottery funds last year. For details on how lottery funds have made a difference in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website.
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