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A lucky woman in North Carolina just scored a massive prize in the state lottery and it's thanks to the help of a very special person in her life: her mother-in-law.
Amanda Wood, of Concord, recently enlisted her mother-in-law to help her pick out a ticket from the Monroe Discount Beverages on Morgan Mill Road in the hopes of winning a prize in the lottery, according to a release from the NC Education Lottery.
"I gave her the money and she chose the ticket for me," she said.
Her mother-in-law chose well. So well, in fact, that the $5 Ruby Red 7's ticket she picked out — because she "likes the color red" — ended up winning a $200,000 prize. Wood couldn't believe the amount she won.
"I was in shock," she said. "You never see that amount of money."
Wood claimed her prize at lottery headquarters on Monday (February 6), taking home a grand total of $142,501 after all required state and federal tax withholdings. When asked what she plans to do with her new winnings, she told lottery officials she hopes to pay bills and renovated some investment properties.
According to the state lottery, the Ruby Red 7's game launched in December with six top prizes of $200,000. Following Woods' win, three of the prizes remain to be claimed.