"I always said I was going to win, but who actually believes it?"
By Kate Northrop
NEWPORT, N.C. — An evening family tradition gave one North Carolina woman the bright idea to try playing a similar lottery game, leading to a win of more than $1.2 million.
A North Carolina resident was participating in the nightly ritual she shared with her family one evening when it inspired her to play the lottery and subsequently win a $1.2 million prize.
Kathy Lopez of Newport was at home relaxing with her mom in front of the TV. It's a daily ritual that involves wrapping up the day with an episode of Wheel of Fortune together.
Conveniently enough, the North Carolina Lottery offers a repertoire of online instant games, one of them being their own digital "Wheel of Fortune" game.
"We watch Wheel of Fortune every night," Lopez told the Lottery. "That's why I played it."
On Feb. 23, Lopez bought a 50 cent ticket for the game, vying for the progressive jackpot that grows with every purchase. That night while watching Wheel of Fortune, she beat the odds of 1 in 100 million and won a jackpot totaling $1,245,907.
"I was like, 'Am I dreaming?'" she recalled of the moment she won. "I was stunned."
She's been a believer that she'd win the lottery one day but did not know what to think when that day finally came.
"I always said I was going to win, but who actually believes it?" she laughed with Lottery officials. "It was crazy."
On Monday, she visited Lottery headquarters in Raleigh to claim her prize and took home $897,178 after federal and state taxes. She said she plans to use the winnings to take care of her family.
"This is a blessing," Lopez remarked. "I really needed this."
Players can wager anywhere from 50 cents to $30 per play in the North Carolina Lottery's "Wheel of Fortune" digital instant game. Currently, the Lottery offers 70 different instant games for online play. Tickets are available on the Lottery's official website or mobile app.
Following Lopez's win, the jackpot returned to its starting amount of $150,000. Since then, it has surpassed $745,000.
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Wow!
Congrats to you Kathy
That's
If she had doubled her bet, would she have won double that amount?
Amazing. Congrats.
No it's a progressive jackpot any bet amount would be the same amount
On Feb. 23, Lopez bought a 50 cent ticket for the game, vying for the progressive jackpot that grows with every purchase. That night while watching Wheel of Fortune, she beat the odds of 1 in 100 million and won a jackpot totaling $1,245,907.
She turned 50 cents into 1.2 Million.
Here I am trying to turn the $5 Mega Millions ticket into $10 and it's not working 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Congratulations 🎉 on the win.
May the win lighten your burden 🙏
Let's see if I can turn my $3 PB into something useful 🤞
Nice win 👏 👏 👏 👏
Very nice, have a wonderful life and enjoy .Congrats