Grandma unwinds with lottery game before bed — and wins big prize in NC. ‘I was numb’
A North Carolina woman thought her huge lottery win was all a dream. Then reality hit.
“I kept pinching myself thinking I would wake up,” Vickie Koch told North Carolina Education Lottery officials of winning a $728,048 jackpot. “I thought I was asleep, I really did.”
A typical part of her bedtime routine, Koch said she was playing the Bison Bonanza digital instant game to wind down for the night, according to officials. The Raleigh woman recalled feeling “numb” when she realized she hit the jackpot.
Koch beat odds of 1 in 15.5 million to snag the game’s grand prize, lottery officials said.
She claimed her winnings at lottery headquarters on June 5, taking home $520,555 after taxes.
Her prize marks the second largest digital instant win since the North Carolina Education Lottery launched its digital instant games back in November, officials said.
Koch said she already has big plans for her newfound wealth.
“The first thing I was thinking was, ‘What can I do to help my family,’ she told officials “I want to use this to set up an education trust for my grandchildren’s college.”
A girls trip to “somewhere tropical” is also on Koch’s to do list, officials said.
“This is just such a huge blessing,” she said.
This story was originally published June 7, 2024 at 8:41 AM with the headline "Grandma unwinds with lottery game before bed — and wins big prize in NC. ‘I was numb’."