"North Carolina woman celebrates with a joyful dance after winning $100K on a scratch-off ticket"

A Pikeville woman couldn't help but dance and scream in excitement after a scratch-off ticket won her a six-figure prize from the North Carolina Education Lottery’s $100,000 Cash Payday ticket.

The player decided to test her luck with a $30 scratch-off game. She bought her ticket at 919 Wireless and Vape on Goldsboro Street in Pikeville. Little did she know, this $30 ticket would lead to a six-figure prize that would change her life. She scratched the ticket off in the store with her partner by her side. The moment the $100,000 prize appeared, excitement filled the air. We were doing our happy dance and screaming. Then we cried, she shared during an interview with a Lottery official. The lucky winner added, I still don’t quite believe it. Earlier this week, the Pikeville woman visited the North Carolina Education Lottery headquarters to claim her prize. After deductions for state and federal taxes, she collected over $72,000. Grateful for the windfall, she mentioned her plan to use the money to pay off bills. Trust me, this was needed, she emphasized.

On March 3, 2026, the Lottery introduced the $100,000 Cash Payday game. Each ticket is priced at $30, offering players the chance to win prizes ranging from $30 to $100,000. Your odds of hitting the $100,000 jackpot stand at 1 in 76,752.38. Since the game's launch, 59 out of the initial 80 top prizes remain available. For the second-tier prize of $30,000, the odds are 1 in 614,019, with seven out of ten prizes still up for grabs. The third-tier prize offers $3,000, and there are 119 such prizes, with odds of 1 in 39,109.49. Thousands of smaller prizes between $500 and $30 are also still in play. Overall, players have a 1 in 3.49 chance of winning any prize with a $100,000 Cash Payday ticket.