Woman buys first home, wins $1M a week later from scratch-off bought at gas station
“I’ve been in shock ever since.”
GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) - One week after closing on a house for the first time, Patricia Simmons, of Greensboro, North Carolina, bought a scratch-off ticket that won her $1 million, according to an NC Education Lottery news release.
“I just stared at it,” Simmons said. “It was unreal to see that.”
Simmons, an in-home aide, said that as a first-time homeowner, she initially had concerns about paying a mortgage every month. Now her win will help pay for her new house.
She bought her winning $30 Millionaire Maker ticket from Fairway One Stop on South Elm Eugene Street in Greensboro.
“I’ve been in shock ever since,” she said. “I’m just numb.”
Simmons said her husband didn’t believe her when she called to tell him the news.
“He said, ‘Tricia, you’re playing,’” she said. “He wanted to see the ticket.”
When Simmons arrived at lottery headquarters Monday, she had a decision to make. She could choose to receive the prize as an annuity of $50,000 over 20 years or a lump sum of $600,000.
She chose the lump-sum amount of $600,000. After required state and federal tax withholdings, she took home $427,509.