‘Big blessing’ on Thanksgiving kept North Carolina lottery player up all weekend
Napping is the norm after a heavy Thanksgiving meal, but one North Carolina woman couldn’t sleep for days when dessert was followed with a big win in the state lottery.
Vida Potter of Goldsboro says she started playing online lottery games after departing holiday festivities with her family, N.C. Education Lottery officials said in a news release.
Her $2 ticket in the Bison Bonanza game led to a $242,335 jackpot win, officials said.
Odds of winning the progressive jackpot are 1 in 15.5 million.
“I was in shock. I still am in shock right now,” Potter said in the release. “I couldn’t sleep that whole weekend.”
The prize came to $173,271 after state and federal withholdings, officials said.
Potter has not decided how she’ll spend the money, but plans to “make smart moves with it.”
“This is a big blessing,” she said.
Bison Bonanza players can wager anything from 50 cents to $30 on the chance of matching five or more symbols. The prize continues to grow until someone wins.
After Potter’s win, the pot was reset to $50,000 and had grown to nearly $275,000 as of Tuesday, Dec. 10.