'Ran into my house screaming': Woman wins $1 million lottery prize from $10 scratch-off
A North Carolina woman said she she had a huge reaction when she realized she won $1 million in the lottery on Monday.
“I jumped out of my car and ran into my house screaming at the top of my lungs,” Sharon Culpepper told the North Carolina Education Lottery. “Then I just dropped to my knees and hit the floor.”
She purchased a $10 Multiplier Mania scratch-off ticket from a BP in Newport, North Carolina, a town near the state's Atlantic coast.
Culpepper told lottery officials her son's fiancé was home and heard her screaming, where she got to share the good news: She had won $1 million. She began to call other family members, who she said did not initially believe her.
“I play tricks sometimes and pick on them so they needed to see proof,” she said.
Arriving Wednesday at the North Carolina Education Lottery office in Raleigh to claim her prize, she chose a lump sum of $600,000, and took home $429,003 after state and federal taxes.
Calling this win a "game changer," Culpepper told lottery officials she plans to buy a new car, pay some bills, do some home repairs and take a Caribbean cruise.
According to the state lottery, Multiplier Mania debuted in June with six $1 million top prizes. After Culpepper's win, three of the $1 million prizes remain to be claimed.
