Substitute teacher wins massive lottery drawing in North Carolina. ‘Too good to be true’

A substitute teacher received a call that was “too good to be true” when she learned she’d won a massive prize in a second-chance drawing, according to the North Carolina Education Lottery.

Diane Ingram, 66, said she didn’t even know the second-chance drawing had happened until she got the phone call, a news release from the agency says.

When she picked up the phone on Jan. 11, she learned she’d won $1 million, the grand prize, the release says.

“Everybody dreams of this stuff,” Ingram said, according to the release.

Players of the “200X The Cash” game can get a second chance on their tickets when they scan them into their lottery accounts, the release says. The game has four “second-chance drawings.” Winners are notified by phone or email.

Ingram picked up her winnings on Jan. 13, the release says. She could receive her prize as an annuity of $50,000 over 20 years or as a lump sum of $600,000. She decided to take the lump sum and, after taxes, took home $427,500.

“This is something I’ll be able to live on for the rest of my life,” she said, according to the lottery.

She told lottery officials she wants to buy a new car, pay a few bills and take a trip to Alaska.

Ingram is from Hamlet, which is about 80 miles southeast of Charlotte.