Retiree kept hoping she would hit jackpot — then ‘it finally happened’ in NC lottery
A North Carolina woman always wondered if she would hit the jackpot — but she doesn’t have to anymore.
That’s because Marion Burke scored a $100,000 prize in the N.C. Education Lottery, officials said in a Jan. 27 news release.
“I kept asking myself, ‘Is it ever going to happen for me?’” Burke said in the release. “And it finally did.”
Burke, who lives in the Northampton County town of Conway, was visiting her brother when officials said she tried her luck on a lottery ticket. She stopped at the Breeze Thru convenience store in Apex, southwest of Raleigh.
That’s where she spent $20 on a ticket for the $2,000,000 Diamond Dazzler game. When she took a glance at the winning scratch-off, she had trouble believing what she saw.
“I looked at it and thought, ‘This can’t be real,’” the 54-year-old told the N.C. Education Lottery. “I just couldn’t believe it finally happened.”
It turns out, her win was the real deal and she took home $71,016 after taxes. Burke, a retired correctional officer, said she hopes to pay bills and share some of the prize money with relatives.
It’s not the first time someone’s trip has taken a lucky turn.
In November, officials said a tourist was heading to the beach when she bought a winning lottery ticket at a South Carolina convenience store.
And in 2020, a man visiting his family in North Carolina scored big in a scratch-off game, McClatchy News reported.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREWhen gambling is more than a game
Gambling is designed to be a source of entertainment.
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.
This story was originally published January 28, 2022 at 11:09 AM with the headline "Retiree kept hoping she would hit jackpot — then ‘it finally happened’ in NC lottery."
