Charlotte woman wins first $277,740 top prize in new game

September 25, 2026 Posted by NC Lottery at 9:17 AM

Jennifer Couret of Charlotte tried her luck on the $200,000 Taxes Paid scratch-off game and won the first $277,740 top prize.

Couret bought her lucky $5 ticket at the QuikTrip on Central Avenue in Charlotte. The odds of that win are 1 in 1.69 million.

She arrived at lottery headquarters on Wednesday to claim her prize. After state and federal tax withholdings, Couret took home $200,000.

The $200,000 Taxes Paid scratch-off debuted this month with three $277,740 prizes. Two remain to be claimed.

Mecklenburg County received state funding totaling over $60 million last year for educational programs. For details on other ways money raised by the lottery made a difference in Mecklenburg County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.

17 COMMENTS

10/01/2026 09:04 - Sonya P.

Congrats!

9/30/2026 04:59 - Deborah A.

Congrats to you !!!! Enjoy your win. Way to go Charlotte. Got a son up there,Here's wishing him the same blessing.

9/29/2026 04:35 - Debra G.

Congratulations ?? ?? ??

9/28/2026 10:11 - Melinda H.

NCEL always saying that regardless of where you live, your chances of winning is the same. Well, your chances aren't the same if winning tickets are never distributed in your area. Smaller areas never win because there're no winning tickets to be purchased!NC Lottery
Hi Melinda. We understand your concern. The odds of winning a prize are the same regardless of where a player lives or where a ticket is purchased. Winning tickets are distributed throughout the state, and we do not determine or know in advance where the winning tickets will be sold. Because of this, living in a larger city or a smaller community does not change the odds of winning for an individual ticket. If you check out our blogs and social media pages on Facebook, Instagram and X, you'll find that we have winners from communities across North Carolina, including both larger cities and smaller towns.

9/28/2026 08:18 - IDA B.

Wow, I know the exact location on Central Ave. Some QuikTrip locations have scratch offs in the machine which I never purchase from there. I better start if this is a machine location. Congrats.

9/28/2026 11:34 - Maria L.

Congratulations!!

9/28/2026 08:12 - Vette S.

Congratulations

9/28/2026 12:23 - Lori M.

Congratulations ??...NCEL keep playing the same numbers. Where are the trips, quads 306 etc... The scratch offs are not that great!!! NC Lottery
Hi Lori! The chances of quads being the winning numbers are always the same in every drawing. Whether quads came out last month or last year, each number combination has exactly a 1 in 10,000 chance of being the winning numbers in a random drawing. Same as in a Pick 3 drawing anywhere else - exactly 1 in 1,000. Those odds never change, no matter how recently or long ago a triple came out. We'd love to see a "quad" or "trips" be drawn, but the lottery follows strict security procedures to ensure that every set of numbers has the exact same chance of coming up in every drawing.

9/27/2026 05:39 - Rosaline E.

Congrats!! ?? Charlotte is the HOT SPOT.. ??

9/27/2026 11:33 - Luther G.

congratulations enjoy it seems like alot of winners on scratch off tickets are coming out of Charlotte maybe I need to start getting my tickets from there but when its your time it will happen NC Lottery
No matter where you play, your odds of winning are the same - it just takes a lot of luck! Crossing our fingers for you, Luther!

9/27/2026 05:08 - shirley b.

NCEL how long before 444 999 333 111 drop. What are we doing here. No trips compared to other states. Obviously not what it seems!!!!!NC Lottery
We hope your favorite number hits soon!

9/27/2026 12:37 - Leslie H.

Congratulations Jennifer!!!!

9/26/2026 12:35 - Ellyn H.

Congratulations on your Blessings ????????

9/26/2026 10:16 - Rachel M.

May you be Blessed ???? Congratulations ????

9/25/2026 01:53 - joanie m.

Congratulations Taxes paid that’s awesome

9/25/2026 09:58 - Paula F.

Congratulations ????

9/25/2026 09:24 - Angela A.

Congrats! @NCEL I am not surprised the first top prize was won in Charlotte. They have a larger population and spending way more money than all the other counties. Yeah RIGHT tell someone else that story, because other places are spending a lot of money too!

Charlotte woman wins first $277,740 top prize in new game

September 25, 2026 Posted by NC Lottery at 9:17 AM

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