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Winning the lottery can bring about a variety of reactions — screaming, crying, stunned silence. For one recent winner in North Carolina, she was so excited about her massive win that she "hit the floor."
Sharon Culpepper, of Newport, recently purchased a $10 Multiplier Mania ticket from the Newport BP on Main Street that ended up landing her one of the games top $1 million prizes, according to a release from the NC Education Lottery.
"I jumped out of my car and ran into my house screaming at the top of my lungs. Then I just dropped to my knees and hit the floor," she recalled, adding, "My son's fiancé was home when I was screaming and she asked what's wrong and I yelled, 'I just won a million dollars."
Culpepper was so thrilled with the win that she immediately had to share the news with some of her family members; however, when she called them, they were hesitant to believe her.
"I play tricks sometimes and pick on them so they needed to see proof," she said.
Culpepper claimed her prize on Wednesday (January 10) where she had the option of receiving her winnings as either an annuity of $50,000 over 20 years or as a one time, lump sum payment of $600,000. She chose the latter and ended up taking home an impressive $429,003 after all required state and federal tax withholdings. According to lottery officials, she plans to use her winnings to pay bills, do some repairs around her house, buy a new car and take a cruise to the Caribbean.
"This is a game changer for me," she said. "The first part of 2024 is looking outstanding."