Lottery player almost quit for good. Then NC ticket left her ‘absolutely speechless’
A North Carolina woman almost quit playing the lottery — then her Powerball ticket left her in shock.
“I was absolutely speechless, which is pretty funny because I talk so much,” Cerese Feagans told the N.C. Education Lottery after she discovered her ticket was worth $100,000.
Feagans, who is from Kings Mountain, said she scored the big win after she took a brief break from playing the lottery.
“I really had decided I was going to stop playing because I just decided I wasn’t lucky,” she told lottery officials in an Aug. 7 news release. “But I guess I was wrong.”
Feagans learned she got richer after she spent $3 on an online ticket for the Powerball game. She went with the Quick Pick option, meaning the lottery randomly chose the numbers for her.
Though her ticket missed out on the $77.1 million jackpot prize, it still matched enough numbers to win big in the March 18 drawing, officials wrote in the news release and an email to McClatchy News.
Feagans — who beat 1-in-913,129 odds in the game — said she plans to invest her prize money and “live within my means.” She kept $71,251 after taxes.
“I’ve finally stopped pinching myself,” Feagans told lottery officials.
Kings Mountain is roughly 30 miles west of Charlotte.
It’s not the first time a huge win has left a North Carolina lottery player speechless. In June, officials said an avid sports fan hit the jackpot and was “at a loss for words,” McClatchy News reported.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREWhen gambling is more than a game
Gambling is designed to be a source of entertainment.
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.
This story was originally published August 8, 2023 at 12:41 PM with the headline "Lottery player almost quit for good. Then NC ticket left her ‘absolutely speechless’."
