RALEIGH, NC — A Dudley woman is celebrating a life-changing lottery win after scratching off the first $200,000 top prize in a new North Carolina Education Lottery game.
Alina Gonzalez of Dudley said she was overwhelmed with excitement after discovering she had won the top prize playing the new Mega Bucks $5 scratch-off game.
“I’ve got this adrenaline running through my body,” Gonzalez said with a laugh. “I’m still a little shaky.”
She admitted she was in complete shock when she realized just how much she had won.
“You don’t expect to win but I guess you never really know,” she said.
Gonzalez purchased her lucky Mega Bucks ticket Thursday morning at Dudley Food Mart on Fox Drive in Dudley. She traveled to North Carolina Education Lottery headquarters later that day to claim her prize.
After required state and federal tax withholdings, Gonzalez took home $144,021.
She said she plans to use her winnings to purchase a home.
The Mega Bucks scratch-off game debuted earlier this month with five top prizes of $200,000. Following Gonzalez’s win, four top prizes remain available statewide.
The North Carolina Education Lottery noted that proceeds from lottery games continue to support education across the state. In Wayne County, more than $28 million in lottery funds have been awarded through state grants to help build a new elementary school.
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