NC woman’s trip to store made her a millionaire, lottery officials say
A North Carolina woman returned home a millionaire after she bought a scratch-off ticket at her local convenience store and hit the jackpot, N.C. lottery officials said Friday.
Bessemer City resident Cathy Stroupe beat odds of 1 in 4.14 million when her $30 Fabulous Fortune ticket scored a $3 million prize, according to the Fabulous Fortune game page on NCLottery.com.
Stroupe bought the ticket at the Kingsway No. 5 store on South 14th Street in Bessemer City, officials said in a news release.
She claimed her prize at lottery headquarters in Raleigh on Thursday, choosing a lump sum of $1.8 million, according to the lottery. She also could have received the prize as a $150,000 annuity over 20 years, officials said.
After taxes, she took home $1.278 million, according to the release.
When she claimed her prize, Stroupe didn’t tell officials what she would do with the money. She couldn’t be reached for comment on Friday.
The Fabulous Fortune game launched in July with six $3 million prizes and 18 $100,000 prizes. One $3 million prize and nine $100,000 prizes remain to be claimed, officials said.
Stroupe was the second big Charlotte-area lottery winner this week.
Mere hours after going into labor and giving birth to her daughter, Brenda Gomez Hernandez scored a $100,000 prize on a $3 Powerball ticket, N.C. lottery officials said Thursday.
“I feel like she brought me my luck. I’m so thankful,” Hernandez said when she claimed her prize at lottery headquarters in Raleigh on Wednesday, according to a lottery news release.
