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A woman in North Carolina is celebrating a huge jackpot win after a lottery ticket she purchased for less than a dollar ended up earning her a $103,096 prize.
Dawn Dildy, of Jacksonville, often plays the Wheel of Bonuses digital instant game but her love for the game reached a new high when she played a $0.50 ticket last week and scored the "Epic jackpot," beating the 1 in 62 million odds to win the progressive jackpot, according to a release from the NC Education Lottery.
"I play that game every day if I can. I love it," she said, adding, "I always thought you probably had to play a $10 or $20 ticket to hit the jackpot."
The Onslow County woman proved that isn't necessarily the case with her win. However, when she called her daughters to share the exciting news, they had a hard time believing her.
"They told me I was lying," she said, laughing. "I had to send a screenshot. They were really happy for me."
Dildy claimed her prize at lottery headquarters on Monday (October 28), taking home a total of $73,714 after all required state and federal tax withholdings. According to lottery officials, the lucky winner plans to use her winnings to pay some bills. Until then, she is still trying to come to terms with the idea that she actually hit the jackpot.
"I'm still trying to wrap my brain around the fact that I won," she said. "It's truly amazing."