The second-chance drawing, held on December 3, automatically entered non-winning $10 Million Spectacular scratch-off tickets into a separate prize pool of more than 1.2 million total entries. From this large group, the Jacksonville woman emerged as the top prize winner of the $500,000 award. In addition to the half-million-dollar prize, the promotion also featured grand, $1 million top prizes and multiple $50,000 awards.
After the lottery officials contacted her with the good news, the winner described her reaction: “I was walking around like a zombie.” She added that when she shared the announcement with her family, they cheered loudly while she cried tears of joy.
Reflecting on her surprise victory, the Onslow County resident said she had never expected to win such a substantial amount in her lifetime.
In previous years, she routinely donated to nearly two dozen charities around the Christmas season. With her new fortune, she plans to double her charitable giving this year, using part of the windfall to support causes close to her heart.
After applying state and federal tax withholdings required for lottery winnings in North Carolina, the woman’s actual payout was approximately $359,000, which she collected earlier in the week at the Lottery headquarters.