Donna Smith from Huntersville, North Carolina, just scored a life-changing $700,000 jackpot playing the lottery. The mouth-watering sum was won via a $10 Triple 777 ticket sold at Run-In on Gillead Road in Huntersville.
Smith purchased the winning ticket on Sunday morning and immediately rushed to the NC Lottery headquarters to claim her prize. After taxes, the lucky woman took home some $500,503.
In a later interview, Smith revealed that she was so thrilled at the fact that she won that she thought she was going to have a heart attack. According to her own words, she could barely hold her excitement and had to calm herself down.
I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I had to calm myself down.
Donna Smith, lottery winner Upon receiving her check, the woman said that she was really happy to be there. Describing herself as a regular lottery player, Smith revealed that scratch-off tickets help her wind down and entertain herself.
As for her plans for the money, Smith said that she was going to pay off the remaining balance of her house and car. In addition to that, the pious woman plans to donate a portion to her local church and family.
Jackpot Fever Sweeps America In other news, a Michigan lottery player just scored a $100,000 500X Money Maker second chance win that left her speechless. For context, the 500X Money Maker second chance game allows players to register their non-winning tickets for another shot at a big prize.
The $100,000 the Genesee County woman won was, in fact, the maximum sum players can win from the second chance game.
In the meantime, Powerball fans across the United States continue to await the next Powerball drawing with bated breath. As no one won the jackpot during the latest drawing, it swelled to approximately $72 million with a lump cash value of $34.7 million.
While no one won the big prize, a single player from New York managed to match all white numbers correctly. Since they had activated the Power Play option, they took a prize of $2 million back home.
Elsewhere, a NSW man just won AUD 40 million ($26.7 million) from the Australian edition of Powerball.