For one North Carolina woman, luck arrived right on time.
Cheryl Bach of Holly Springs, N.C., picked up a $50 ticket for the $10 Million Spectacular scratch-off game at a Harris Teeter near Raleigh — and to her astonishment, it turned out to be a winner.
“I had to put my glasses on to make sure I was seeing it right,” Bach told the North Carolina Education Lottery in an Oct. 13 news release.
The shock left her “shaking for the rest of the day,” and her husband of 31 years took a few minutes to believe it himself. To convince him, Bach said she even had to snap a photo of the winning ticket.
The $10 Million Spectacular game debuted in December 2023 with five $10 million prizes, 20 prizes of $1 million, and 20 prizes of $100,000. All top prizes have now been claimed, and the lottery has begun winding down the game.
Bach had the option to receive her winnings as a $50,000 annuity paid over 20 years or a single lump-sum payment of $600,000. She chose the lump sum and, after state and federal taxes, took home $430,514.
As for what’s next, Bach and her husband plan to finally take the honeymoon trip they never had.
“I’m going to take a vacation with my husband that will finally be our honeymoon,” she said. “I haven’t decided where yet.”
Along with their long-awaited getaway, the couple also plans to use part of the money to pay off bills after collecting their prize at lottery headquarters on Oct. 10.
