Impatience is a virtue

By Kate Northrop

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A North Carolina woman credits her $100,000 lottery win to a long line and a last-minute decision.

While the saying goes that patience is a virtue, in Debra Ross' case, it's impatience that won the day and granted her a six-figure lottery prize.

On Good Friday, the 61-year-old Charlotte resident was waiting in line to buy a lottery ticket at the Publix Super Market on South Tyron Street in Charlotte, but things were not moving as fast as Ross would have liked.

"The lady in front of me at the counter was taking too long, so I walked over to the machine to buy there instead," she explained.

Her last-minute decision led her to pick out a second-tier prize-winning $25 "Spectacular Riches" scratch-off ticket worth $100,000.

"I saw the amount and was like, 'Oh my God, that's $100,000,'" she told the North Carolina Lottery.

She visited Lottery headquarters in Raleigh last Monday to pick up her prize and recalled the coincidental timing of her big win.

"That was a good Friday on Good Friday," she laughed.

After state and federal tax withholdings, Ross took home $71,257. The network engineer said she'll be using the winnings to pay some bills and will put the rest in savings.

"I am very, very happy," the winner concluded. "Happy and smiling."

Following Ross' win, there are currently two out of eight top prizes of $1 million left to claim in the $25 "Spectacular Riches" scratch-off game, which launched in October 2021. There are also six out of 20 second-tier prizes of $100,000, and eight out of 20 third-tier prizes of $50,000 remaining.