Gina Short of Mecklenburg County is celebrating her second big lottery win as she continues her fight against breast cancer.
On April 29, she beat the odds of 1 in 2.7 million to win the top $250,000 All or Nothing Prize.
“We’re still in disbelief mode,” Gina said.
Gina played All or Nothing regularly when the game launched in 2014, but hasn’t played in a long time. A few weeks ago she had a feeling the game was going to be lucky, so she had her husband get a ticket for Friday’s drawing.
“We kind of didn’t believe it,” Gina said. “We checked the same ticket six or seven times because we thought we misread it.”
This isn’t her first big win. In February, she won $1 million in the Ultimate Millions second-chance drawing.
“It’s not something you can put into words,” Gina’s husband Len said. “For us to have the good fortune of winning not just one big prize but two, we are just very thankful for that.”
Gina was diagnosed with breast cancer six years ago. She’s currently undergoing chemotherapy.
“With what Gina’s been going through this helps,” Len said. “We’ll use the money for Gina. She’s the priority. She’s number one.”
Gina claimed her All or Nothing prize Wednesday. After federal and state tax withholdings, she received $173,125.
Gina’s husband bought the $2 Quick Pick ticket at the Publix on Magnolia Estates Drive in Cornelius. To win the top prize a player must match all 12 numbers or none of them. Gina didn’t match any number.
Ticket sales from games like All or Nothing made it possible for the lottery to raise more than half a billion dollars for the state last year. For details on how $352.6 million in lottery funds have made a difference in Mecklenburg County, click on the “For Education” section of the lottery’s website.