Melannie Beaver of Canton tried her luck on a $5 scratch-off ticket and won a $150,000 prize.
Beaver bought her lucky Mystery Prize Cashword ticket from Southeast Energy on Russ Avenue in Waynesville. Beaver arrived at lottery headquarters Friday to collect her prize and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $106,516.
The Mystery Prize Cashword game launched in September with six top prizes of $150,000. Two $150,000 prizes remain to be claimed.
Ticket sales from scratch-off games make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $900 million per year for education. For details on how $2.8 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Haywood County in 2021, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.