A routine Saturday morning stop for biscuits turned ‘surreal’ for Amelia Estes of Thomasville after a $20 scratch-off purchase revealed a $2 million prize.
“I looked and looked and my hands just started shaking,” she said. “It was surreal.”
Estes, 51, bought her lucky 100X The Cash ticket from Sam’s Mini Mart on West Green Drive in High Point. She bought the ticket after stopping at Biscuitville on Saturday.
“Something was just telling me to go get that ticket,” she said.
Estes won the first $2 million prize in the new game. She said she gave her mom the good news as soon as she got home.
“I came into the house real quiet and I told my mom, ‘I think we’re millionaires,’” she said. “She was already sitting down, thank goodness.”
When Estes arrived at lottery headquarters Thursday to collect her prize, she could choose to receive the prize as an annuity of $100,000 over 20 years or a lump sum of $1.2 million. She chose the lump-sum amount of $1.2 million and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $855,006.
“We are going to plan for a comfortable retirement now,” Estes said.
The 100X The Cash game debuted in December with five $2 million prizes and 10 $100,000 prizes. Four $2 million top prizes and 10 $100,000 prizes remain to be claimed.
Ticket sales from scratch-offs make it possible for the lottery to raise $2.5 million a day on average for education. For details on how $9.7 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Davidson County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.