N.C. Education Lottery
SALISBURY ó A Rowan man says he plans to pay off his mortgage and his car after winning $366,158 in the N.C. Education Lottery.
Lloyd Pullen, a sales representative from Salisbury, says his winnings in the ěCarolina Cash 5î game ó which will be $248,989 after taxes ó will also let him put some money into savings.
A regular ěCash 5î player, Pullen won the top prize in the March 29 drawing when the numbers on one of his Quick Pick tickets matched all five numbers, a press release said.
ěJust numb,î Pullen said of his feeling when he realized he had won. ěDisbelief. Whatís the word they use? Surreal. You check it four, five or six times. And then you check it again.î
Pullen bought his winning ticket at the Village Grocery & Garden Shop on U.S. 601 North.
Another area winner said she also plans to pay off her mortgage.
Amanda Barber, a waitress from Lexington, won $500,000 on an Anniversary Cash scratch-off ticket. She bought the ticket Saturday because she was ěfeeling lucky,î she said in the press release.
ěI had a feeling that day,î Barber said Monday as she collected her winnings at N.C. Education Lottery headquarters. ěI told my Mom that morning if I could only win $500,000, I could get caught up on some things. And my horoscope kept telling me things about money for about three weeks straight.î
Barber bought the ticket at the Welcome Exxon 1-Stop on Old N.C. 52 in Welcome. She was in the kitchen of the restaurant where she works with a few co-workers when she began scratching the ticket. After revealing her winning numbers, she stopped scratching when the first number she scratched on the ticket showed the $500,000 prize.
Barber said she was thankful for her good luck. She said she also planned to use her prize money, worth $340,000 after taxes are withheld, to pay bills and start savings for her three sons. She is the second person to win the top prize in the game which marks the Education Lotteryís fifth anniversary. As of Monday, three more $500,000 prizes remained in the game.
A person who hadnít yet been identified Monday won $1 million in the April 2 Power Ball drawing. The winner, who bought the ticket at a store in Lincolnton, matched all five white balls but the power ball.