Lottery player thought she won $250 — but she missed a few zeroes. ‘A great Christmas’
A lottery player thought she won a few hundred dollars — but she missed some zeroes on her ticket.
Ashley Ellison’s uncle scanned the ticket, revealing it actually was worth $250,000, according to a video the North Carolina Education Lottery posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“I thought I just won $250,” Ellison, who lives in South Carolina, said in a Dec. 18 news release. “I freaked out.”
Ellison told the lottery she hit the jackpot at the “perfect time.” Now, she plans to spend the prize money on her house or Christmas gifts.
“This is absolutely going to make for a great Christmas,” the lucky winner said.
Ellison scored the huge prize as she and her uncle continued their tradition of playing the lottery every few weeks. This time, she spent $20 on a ticket at Dhiya Food Mart in Shelby, a roughly 45-mile drive west from Charlotte.
“It was his idea to stop,” Ellison told lottery officials. “We go out to eat sometimes and then buy tickets.”
It turns out, her ticket won the biggest prize in the Merry Multiplier game. She couldn’t believe her luck.
“The whole ride home I was like, ‘Really? I won $250,000? Seriously?’” Ellison said.
Ellison, who is from Gaffney, kept $178,756 after taxes. She got richer months after another South Carolina visitor won a big lottery prize during a North Carolina trip, McClatchy News reported in August.
This story was originally published December 19, 2024 at 9:38 AM with the headline "Lottery player thought she won $250 — but she missed a few zeroes. ‘A great Christmas’."
