Caroline Hunt of Red Springs tried her luck on a $5 scratch-off ticket and won a $200,000 prize.
Hunt bought her lucky Sapphire 7s ticket from One Stop on East Fourth Avenue in Red Springs. She arrived at lottery headquarters Thursday to collect her prize and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $142,021.
The Sapphire 7s game launched in December with six top prizes of $200,000. Two $200,000 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. A $15 million grant, using money raised by the lottery, is helping Robeson County build the Robeson County Career and Technology Center. For details on other ways Robeson County benefits from lottery funds, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.