National

Lottery player spends $1 on ticket before bed. Jackpot prize led to a sleepless night

Carletta Woodall spent $1 on a lottery ticket that was worth much more. Now, she hopes to spend her prize money on a vacation.
Carletta Woodall spent $1 on a lottery ticket that was worth much more. Now, she hopes to spend her prize money on a vacation. N.C. Education Lottery

A woman bought a $1 lottery ticket before bed — then came a sleepless night.

Carletta Woodall couldn’t help but stay awake after discovering she scored a six-figure North Carolina jackpot prize.

“I couldn’t sleep after that,” the Robeson County resident told the N.C. Education Lottery in a July 17 news release.

Woodall won $343,099 after she decided to play the lottery online. She was lying in bed when she spent $1 on a ticket for the Bison Bonanza progressive jackpot game.

Woodall was in disbelief as she watched the top prize grow before her “epic jackpot” win.

“You can imagine how shocked I was,” the lucky player said.

Woodall beat 1-in-31 million odds to score the big prize, which totaled $245,316 after taxes. Woodall lives in Parkton, a roughly 80-mile drive southeast from Raleigh, and she now has plans to venture outside of North Carolina.

“I’ve never been to Vegas so I want to take a trip there,” Woodall said, adding that she also hopes to do home repairs and share the prize money with her relatives.

It’s not the first time a North Carolina lottery player has gotten richer at bedtime. Another woman tried her luck on the Bison Bonanza game and thought she was dreaming out her massive win, McClatchy News reported in June.

Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.

If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.

Read Next
Read Next

This story was originally published July 17, 2024 at 11:48 AM with the headline "Lottery player spends $1 on ticket before bed. Jackpot prize led to a sleepless night."

Simone Jasper
The News & Observer
Simone Jasper is a service journalism reporter at The News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Get one year of unlimited digital access for $159.99
#ReadLocal

Only 44¢ per day

SUBSCRIBE NOW