North Carolina Woman Scores Big Lottery Win After Years Of Playing

A woman in North Carolina is still in a bit of shock after the special numbers she has been using for lottery tickets finally paid off after years of playing.

Sherry Newman-May, of Willow Spring, recently purchased a $3 Power Play Powerball ticket for Monday's (October 10) drawing using the state lottery website's Online Play, according to a release from the NC Education Lottery. The 56-year-old Johnston County woman has been buying lottery tickets for years, but since the start of the pandemic, she has taken to getting her tickets online. Her recent purchase was right on the mark, matching four white balls plus the Powerball to win $50,000. Thanks to the 2X Power Play multiplier, however, her prize doubled and jumped up to $100,000.

"When I saw the numbers, I just thought, 'Oh my goodness,'" she recalled. "I was in a little bit of shock."

According to Newman-May, the lucky ticket's numbers were digits she has used before, but this time they finally scored the six-figure prize.

"We picked some of our favorite numbers and we've been playing them for years," she said. "I guess it paid off."

Newman-May claimed her prize at lottery headquarters on Thursday (October 13), taking home a total of $71,011 after all required state and federal tax withholdings. When asked what she plans to do with her new winnings, she told lottery officials she hopes to pay off some bills and put the rest in the bank to save for another time.