RALEIGH, N.C. — A North Carolina woman’s late-night premonition led to a big payday in the state’s lottery promotion.
With less than five minutes before Saturday night’s Cash 5 drawing, Stephanie Israel had a sudden urge to buy a lottery ticket. Her impulse online purchase resulted in a winning ticket worth $501,544, according to a news release from the North Carolina Education Lottery.
“The spirit just told me to go online and buy one,” Israel, 39, of Browns Summit, said in a statement on Tuesday. “There was only four minutes left until the drawing.”
Israel bought a Quick Pick ticket on the lottery’s website. On Sunday morning, she received an email that told her about her cash windfall.
“When I went in and saw it, I screamed for like 20 minutes,” Israel told lottery officials. “I think I scared my family a little bit.”
Israel went to lottery headquarters on Monday to collect her prize. After required state and federal taxes, she took home a lump sum of $356,147.
Israel said she wants to use her winnings to invest in her family’s future.
“We are constantly thinking of new ideas for businesses,” she said. “Our boys already have a landscaping business.”
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