Betzi Rivera of Winston-Salem said a split-second decision while pumping gas resulted in her winning a $200,000 lottery prize.
“I don’t normally play the lottery,” Rivera said. “I just randomly decided to get a ticket.”
The fast food worker bought the winning Mega Bucks scratch-off ticket at the Church Street BP on Church Street in Concord. She took the $5 ticket home and started scratching.”
“My heart dropped when I saw what I won,” Rivera said. “I couldn’t believe it.”
Rivera claimed her prize Wednesday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required state and federal tax withholdings, she took home $141,501. She plans to invest most of the money, but said she might treat herself to a new Apple Watch.
Mega Bucks launched in November 2017. Four $200,000 top prizes remain.
Ticket sales from games like Mega Bucks make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $700 million a year for education. For details on how lottery funds have made a difference in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website.