DURHAM, N.C. — A nurse who works with coronavirus patients at a nursing home in North Carolina won a $1 million lottery jackpot.
Terri Watkins said she was shocked when she got the call.
“I thought that it was a scam. I was a little upset, actually,” she said. “I thought that it was not real, couldn’t be real.
It’s still something that I really don’t believe. I’m still in some shock here.”
Watkins’ entry was selected Wednesday from 513,000 others for a $300 million Supreme Riches second-chance drawing, the NC Education Lottery said.
She claimed her prize Thursday. Rather than $1 million paid out over 20 years, she took a lump sum of $600,000, which after taxes was $424,500.
Watkins, who works at a Durham long-term care facility, is not sure what she will do with her winnings, maybe buy a new house.
“I’m just going to take it slow and easy and figure out what I’m going to do,” she said. “I would love a new home, but I’ve just got to take time and put it in the right place.”
Congratulations, Terri Watkins! Terri, a nurse from #Durham, just won $1 million on a Supreme Riches scratch-off ticket. “It’s still something that I really don’t believe, I’m still in some shock here,” Terri said. Way to go! #NCLottery https://t.co/lWh0gCBH6t pic.twitter.com/8LzZh2eBdR
— NC Education Lottery (@nclottery) January 11, 2021
Cox Media Group