Monica Y. Wilson, a homemaker from Kannapolis, says she plans to give to her church and then take a vacation and go shopping after winning the $3 million top prize in the $200 Million Extravaganza game.
Wilson bought the lucky ticket Tuesday at the Raceway on Brookshire Avenue in Charlotte and then discovered her win after scratching the ticket at her husband’s office.
“I still don’t believe it,” Wilson said Wednesday as she claimed her prize. “No words. Just excited.”
Wilson’s win means she will receive $150,000 a year for 20 years. She received the first payment, $102,006 after taxes were withheld, on Wednesday.
Wilson claimed the last of five $3 million prizes in the instant game, which began in October 2009. All of the 10 $1 million prizes have also been claimed.
Since the lottery began through June 30 of this year, Cabarrus County education programs received more than $39.6 million in lottery funds. By law, those funds pay for teachers’ salaries, school construction, need-based college scholarships and prekindergarten programs. Players in Cabarrus County have won more than $58.5 million in prizes since the lottery’s inception.
To date, the N.C. Education Lottery has raised more than $2.1 billion for these initiatives statewide.