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‘I might have screamed’: NC mom unleashes hugs and kisses after she hits lottery jackpot

A Charlotte mom screamed and hugged and kissed her husband after her $1 lottery ticket hit a jackpot, state lottery officials said Friday.

Heather Malo won $388,927 with the Cash 5 Quick Pick ticket she bought for the Aug. 26 drawing using Online Play on NCLottery.com, according to a lottery news release.

She beat odds of 1 in 962,598, according to the Cash 5 page on the lottery website..

“When I saw how much it was, I might have screamed a little bit,” Malo said with a laugh when she claimed her prize at lottery headquarters in Raleigh on Thursday, officials said.

Malo learned of her big win when she saw a notification email on Saturday morning that “looked a little different than usual,” she said.

“It was definitely an exciting morning,” the 48-year-old said.

After taxes, she took home $276,177, according to the lottery.

Malo said she’s still deciding how she’ll spend the money but would like to take a family vacation.

Cash 5 and three other lottery games in North Carolina let players buying their tickets at a lottery retailer and through Online Play on the lottery website and app.

Friday’s jackpot in the nightly Cash 5 drawing is $306,000, according to the Cash 5 page on the lottery website.

Joe Marusak
The Charlotte Observer
Joe Marusak has been a reporter for The Charlotte Observer since 1989 covering the people, municipalities and major news events of the region, and was a news bureau editor for the paper. He currently reports on breaking news. Support my work with a digital subscription
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