Janet Street of Bakersville is planning a dream trip West after she won a $1 million lottery prize.
“My husband’s never been to the West,” Street said. “He’s always wanted to, so we’ll spend some time sightseeing out there.”
The oncology nurse’s good fortune happened Thursday morning on her way to work. She stopped at Samir’s on U.S. 226 South in Bakersville and bought a 50X The Cash scratch-off ticket.
“I like to play the lottery,” Street said. “It’s what I use my entertainment money on. I think it’s fun. I like the hope of winning.”
When she scratched the ticket, she couldn’t believe it. She took a picture and sent it to her husband so he could check it.
“He couldn’t believe it either,” Street said. “We’re both still in shock.”
Street claimed her prize Friday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. She had the choice of taking a $1 million annuity that has 20 payments of $50,000 a year or a lump sum of $600,000. She chose the lump sum. After federal and state tax withholdings she took home $424,503.
The $10 ticket launched in February with four top prizes of $1 million. Two top prizes remain. Players can enter their “X The Cash” scratch-off tickets into one of four second-chance drawings for a chance to win $50,000. The deadline to enter the first drawing is Sunday.
Ticket sales from games like 50X The Cash make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $650 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.