Polly Burns had to get her sister, Nannie, to double-check her North Carolina Education Lottery scratch-off ticket.
“I had to get my sister to look to make sure my eyes were working,” Burns told state lottery officials in Raleigh. “She said, ‘Girl, that’s a million dollars right there.’”
The 72-year-old woman from Polkton, a town about 45 miles southeast of Charlotte in Anson County, bought the lucky 50X The Cash ticket from B&D Mart on N.C. 24/27 in Midland, officials said.
“I stopped at the station I normally use, but the line was so long I decided to try another place,” Burns told officials. “My brother pumped the gas while I ran in and got my ticket.”
When Burns got home and scratched off her ticket, seeing that million-dollar prize “surprised” her.
“It scared me to death when I saw I won,” she told officials.
She could have received her money in two ways, either as a $50,000 annuity over 20 years or a lump sum of $600,000. She chose the $600,000 and took home $426,063 after taxes.
Burns told officials she plans to pay off her mortgage and share some of the winnings with family.
The overall odds of winning a prize on the 50X The Cash ticket is 1 in 3.44, according to the NC Education Lottery website. There are six more $1 million prizes available, the website said.
