A Wilmington woman won $1 million Sunday in a scratch-off game–the first lottery ticket she’s ever played.
That’s according to the N.C. Education Lottery, which said Thursday that Cindy Reeves, a stockroom clerk, wasn’t even sure she’d won anything, calling her boyfriend to double-check what she was seeing.
“I have the number 16 and one of the winning numbers is 16,” Reeves told boyfriend Rick Jocheim, according to a release from the state lottery.
“What does it say under the 16?” Jocheim reportedly said.
“It says $1 million,” replied Reeves.
Her winning after taxes will amount to $415,206.
“I’m going to pay off everything I owe,” Reeves told the Education Lottery. She also plans to visit Walt Disney World and spend time in the North Carolina mountains with her sister.
Reeves had played the $4 Million Multiplier Spectacular, a $20 ticket, purchased from the Shop-N-Go at 1620 Market St. in Wilmington.
The odds of winning the $1 million were one in 1 million. Reeves was the first to beat those odds, the state said.
Sales of lottery tickets have raised more than $3.19 billion for education programs across North Carolina, the release added.
According to the state, New Hanover County has received $50.2 million in lottery funds since March 2006, when the program rolled out.
Brunswick County has received $23.98 million.
Pender County has received $14.7 million.
