Joyce Gilchrist of Gastonia tried her luck on a $5 scratch-off ticket and won the first $100,000 prize in a new lottery game.
Gilchrist bought her lucky Fire ticket from Times Turnaround on South New Hope Road in Gastonia. She arrived at lottery headquarters Friday to collect her prize and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $71,251.
The Fire game launched with four top prizes of $100,000. Three $100,000 prizes remain to be claimed.
Ticket sales from scratch-off games make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $2.5 million a day on average for education. For details on how $14.9 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Gaston County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.