Lottery player called mom crying after winning NC prize. Now she plans to buy a house
Katie Knighten was at work Sept. 23 when she decided to buy a $5 lottery ticket.
She works at the Quick & Easy on Burlington Road in Greensboro, North Carolina, she told lottery officials.
The $5 was well spent when Knighten’s lucky Safari Bingo ticket won her 50% of the jackpot.
“I was ecstatic,” she said. “I called my mama crying.”
After collecting her prize Wednesday, Knighten took home $101,714, and she already has plans for her winnings.
“We are renting the home we currently live in and we’d love to buy that,” Knighten said. She also wants to buy a new pickup truck, a Toyota Tacoma.
Knighten had a 1 in 320,000 chance of winning the jackpot, officials say.
In August, Knighten’s father passed away, so she said the win is extra special.
“We felt like it was blessing from him,” she said.
This story was originally published October 6, 2022 at 3:17 PM with the headline "Lottery player called mom crying after winning NC prize. Now she plans to buy a house."