Julia O’Neal of Southport tried her luck on a $5 scratch-off ticket and walked away the lucky winner of a $200,000 top prize.
O’Neal purchased her lucky $200,000 Triple Play ticket from Murphy Express on North Howe Street in Southport.
“It was unreal,” said O’Neal. “I just couldn’t believe it.”
O’Neal claimed her prize at lottery headquarters in Raleigh on Friday. After federal and state taxes, she took home $141,501.
“It comes in handy for me because I can fix the house up and pay bills,” she said.
The game launched in May with four top prizes of $200,000. One prize remains to be won.
Ticket sales from scratch-offs make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $700 million per year for education. For details on how $5.4 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Brunswick County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.