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Couple scratches North Carolina lottery ticket — then they see ‘all those zeroes’

A North Carolina couple will pay bills after winning a $100,000 lottery prize.
A North Carolina couple will pay bills after winning a $100,000 lottery prize. Getty Images/iStockphoto

Patricia Neal and her husband spent a recent Sunday night playing the lottery in North Carolina — and it paid off in a big way.

The couple bought their $20 100X The Cash scratch-off ticket from Freeway Mart in Reidsville, according to a June 26 news release from the North Carolina Education Lottery.

They started scratching the ticket and saw their $100,000 prize, officials said.

“We saw all those zeroes and were like, ‘Is this for real?’” Neal told officials. “We were so shocked.”

After taxes, Neal took home $71,256, according to officials.

“I’m still just amazed right now,” she said, per the lottery’s release. “I’m so happy.”

Neal said she plans to use her winnings to pay bills.

“We really needed this,” she told lottery officials.

Reidsville is about 90 miles northwest of Raleigh.

Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.

If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.

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This story was originally published June 26, 2023 at 4:25 PM with the headline "Couple scratches North Carolina lottery ticket — then they see ‘all those zeroes’."

Moira Ritter
mcclatchy-newsroom
Moira Ritter covers real-time news for McClatchy. She is a graduate of Georgetown University where she studied government, journalism and German. Previously, she reported for CNN Business.
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