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A woman in North Carolina had a lot to celebrate over Christmas — including winning an impressive $700,000 lottery prize in a newly-launched game.
Friday (December 23) started like any other day leading up to Christmas, but when Donna Denton of Wilson "went out for a biscuit," she decided to try her luck at the Triple 777 game, which debuted earlier this month, according to a release from the NC Education Lottery. She purchased the $10 ticket from the Fremont Food Mart on North Wilson Street and checked the ticket with her husband when she got home, where they both discovered she won one of the games top $700,000 prizes.
"We were happy anyway," said Denton. "Now we're happier. This is a blessing."
Denton claimed her prize at lottery headquarters on Wednesday (December 28), taking home a grand total of $497,073 after all required state and federal tax withholdings. When asked what she plans to do with her new winnings, she told lottery officials that she plans to donate some of the prize to her church.
"We had a very Merry Christmas," said Denton. "This made Christmas a little happier."
Denton isn't the only lucky lottery player to win big over the holiday season. One player in Holly Springs got a jump start on her Christmas plans when she scored a huge lottery prize.