High school senior ‘in shock’ after grandpa gifts her life-changing NC lottery ticket
A high school senior got a six-figure surprise after her grandfather gifted her a lottery ticket, according to the North Carolina Education Lottery.
Yuridia Gallegos-Echavarrieta, 18, said the prize left her “in shock.”
“I didn’t believe I actually won,” the Mount Airy woman told lottery officials. “We had to go back to the gas station to check it.”
Echavarrieta’s granddad bought a Power 5’s scratch-off game from a Speedway in Mount Airy and gave it to her, officials said in a Dec. 21 news release. She rushed to tell him about her big win, which came a few months after her 18th birthday.
”He was like, ‘That’s awesome,’” she recalled.
Echavarrieta starts college next fall but told lottery officials she plans to invest her winnings, which came out to $178,126 after taxes.
The lottery player beat odds of 1 in 1,292,630 to win the $250,000 jackpot, according to the North Carolina Education Lottery’s website. Only three top prizes remain in the game.
Mount Airy is about 115 miles north of Charlotte, near the North Carolina-Virginia line.
Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.
If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.
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