‘I thought it was a dream’: Woman wins epic jackpot in digital lottery game

RALEIGH, N.C. (WITN/Gray News) - A North Carolina woman hit a major jackpot while playing her favorite lottery game.

According to the North Carolina Education Lottery, Santana McCoy won a $219,685 jackpot from the Bison Bonanza digital lottery game.

McCoy said the digital game is her favorite and the only one she usually plays.

After seeing that her $5 ticket returned the massive jackpot, she said she couldn’t believe it.

“I thought it was a dream,” McCoy recalled. “I jumped up and hollered. My son came running.”

The odds of her winning, according to lottery officials, were 1 in 6.2 million.

McCoy ended up taking home $157,626 after taxes.

The Engelhard resident said she plans on using some of her winnings for a new car and fixing her family home while saving the rest.

In the Bison Bonanza digital instant game, a player can play from 50 cents to $30. After McCoy’s win, the jackpot has restarted at $50,000.