Jacqueline Carpenter of Dallas said she won a $100,000 lottery prize when her son gave her a scratch-off ticket on New Year’s Day.

Her son, Adrian, was on his way home from a deer hunting trip when he stopped at the Country Corner on Dallas Cherryville Highway in Dallas. While there, he bought several of The BIG SPIN scratch-off tickets.

“I know that my mom enjoys playing those tickets,” Adrian said. “I was planning to check on her after my trip, so I decided to get her one before I did.”

When Adrian got to his mom’s house, he pulled out the tickets, tore off the top one and handed it to her saying, “Happy New Year Mom!”

“I didn’t believe it,” Jacqueline said when she realized she won. “I thought it was a joke, because he’s given me fake tickets before. When I showed it to him, he about put a hole in my ceiling he jumped so high. That’s when I knew it was real.”

“It’s a heck of a way to start 2020,” Adrian said. “She was ecstatic. She was literally floating. It gave me pure joy to see her so happy.”

Jacqueline claimed her prize Thursday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required state and federal tax withholdings, she took home $70,751.

“I can’t think of a single thing that I want or need,” Jacqueline said tearfully when she got her check. “I’m going to give the money to my children and grandchildren and make sure they’re taken care of.”

“That’s what she thinks,” Adrian responded. “I’m not going to take a penny. She deserves to keep everything for herself.”

The $5 scratch-off ticket launched in October. Players can win instant prizes up to $100,000 prize, or they could win a spin on the BIG SPIN prize wheel. Players who spin the wheel are guaranteed to win $100,000 but could win up to $500,000.

Ticket sales from games like The BIG SPIN 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.