RALEIGH — Vivian Legette, of Monroe, won the first $150,000 top prize in the new Jungle Cashword lottery game, N.C. Education Lottery officials announced on Friday.
Legette claimed her winnings Wednesday after purchasing a $5 scratch-off ticket at the Food Lion on East Roosevelt Boulevard in Monroe.
The Jungle Cashword game debuted this week with five $150,000 top prizes available.
After taxes, Legette took home $108,016.
Legette recalled her surprise when she first checked the ticket.
“At first I thought I won $5,000,” Legette said.
Her granddaughter then rechecked the ticket, confirming the larger prize.
Legette recounted her granddaughter’s reaction, “Then my granddaughter checked it for me, and she said, ‘Grandma you’ve got 10 numbers!’”
Legette described her immediate reaction to realizing the full amount of her win.
“I started jumping up and down,” she said.
Legette explained that her choice of the Jungle Cashword ticket was due to her preference for crosswords and the game’s recent release.
“I bought that one because I like crosswords and it just came out,” Legette said.
Legette plans to use her winnings to pay bills and share with her family.
Legette’s win marks the first of these prizes claimed, with four $150,000 prizes remaining in the game.
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