Photo: Getty Images
A woman in North Carolina couldn't contain her excitement after scoring a huge prize from a digital instant game.
Last month, Melanie Melendez, of Charlotte, played a $5 ticket in the Wheel of Bonuses digital game, which features a progressive jackpot that can be won at any time, according to a release from the NC Education Lottery. Fortunately for Melendez, that is just what happened with her ticket on November 16, beating the 1 in 6.2 million odds and scoring the $404,917 prize after winning the game's "Epic Jackpot" top level.
"It was spinning and I was just thinking to myself, 'Wouldn't it be crazy if I won,'" she said. "You just never know when it can happen."
After her win, she had to immediately share the exciting news with her family.
"I called my daughter right away," she said. "I started hollering on the phone."
Melendez claimed her prize at lottery headquarters on Tuesday (December 3), taking home a total of $289,518 after all required state and federal tax withholdings. According to lottery officials, she already has an idea of how to spend her prize: pay off some bills, giving some of the money to her church and invest even more funds.