North Carolina Woman Scores $1 Million During Weekly Gas Trip

Photo: Getty Images

A woman in North Carolina recently hit the jackpot after scoring the first $1 million in a new game in the state lottery.

Sabrina Bottoms, of Conway, has a routine. Every Sunday night, she stops by a gas station to fill up her tank and pick up a lottery ticket, according to a release from the NC Education Lottery. During her recent stop at the Park N Shop on East Main Street, she purchased a $10 Hamilton ticket that ended up shaking up her weekly visit. When she scratched off the ticket, she discovered she was the lucky winner of $1 million.

"I couldn't believe I won," she said. "I fill up and get one ticket every week."

To ensure that she wasn't seeing things, she quickly called her cousin to confirm that she really was a winner, saying, "I had to get someone else to check the ticket."

Bottoms was afraid she would misplace the winning ticket, so she kept it close by her side until she could collect her prize.

"The ticket went everywhere I went," she recalled. "Even to the bathroom and to sleep."

Bottoms claimed her prize at lottery headquarters on Monday (September 26), where she had to choose between either receiving her prize as an annuity of $50,000 per year over the course of 20 years or as a one time, lump sum payment of $600,000. In the end, she chose the latter and took home an incredible total of $426,063 after all required state and federal tax withholdings.

When asked what she plans to do with her new winnings, she told lottery officials she plans to buy her dream home.

The Hamilton game launched earlier this month with four top prizes of $1 million. Following Bottoms' win, three prizes remain to be claimed.


Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content