NORTH CAROLINA — A Wayne County woman is celebrating after winning a $200,000 top prize on a new North Carolina Education Lottery scratch-off game.
Alina Gonzalez of Dudley won the first $200,000 top prize in the $5 Mega Bucks game after purchasing her ticket Thursday morning at Dudley Food Mart on Fox Drive in Dudley.
“I’ve got this adrenaline running through my body,” Gonzalez said. “I’m still a little shaky.”
She said she was shocked when she realized how much she had won.
“You don’t expect to win but I guess you never really know,” she said.
Gonzalez claimed her prize later that day at lottery headquarters. After required state and federal tax withholdings, she took home $144,021.
She said she plans to use her winnings to buy a home.
The Mega Bucks game debuted this month with five top prizes of $200,000. Following Gonzalez’s win, four top prizes remain available.
According to the North Carolina Education Lottery, Wayne County has received more than $28 million in lottery-funded grants to help build a new elementary school.
