For the second time in three weeks, a North Carolina woman had an amazing streak of luck when she purchased two winning lottery tickets in the same day.
It happened Sunday when Michelle Shuffler of Granite Falls won $10,000 with one scratch-off ticket and $1 million with another, purchased 22 miles away. Granite Falls is about 65 miles northwest of Charlotte.
The first ticket was purchased when she and her husband stopped at the Cubbard Express on Beecher Anderson Road in Lenoir.
"We don't normally play the lottery," Shuffler said in a statement. "My husband just happened to have some cash in his pocket. At the last second, he decided to buy a ticket."
When Shuffler scratched the Million Dollar Fever ticket, she saw that it was worth $10,000. "I was in complete disbelief," she said in a statement. "I still am."
Feeling lucky, she and her husband decided later that night to get another scratch-off ticket, this time at the Murphy Express on Hickory Boulevard in Granite Falls. It netted her $1 million.
"It's quite astonishing. It's a miracle!" she said in a statement.
She claimed both prizes Monday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. For the $1 million prize, she had the choice of taking 20 payments of $50,000 a year or a lump sum of $600,000. She chose the annuity and received her first payment of $50,000. After required state and federal tax withholding, she took home $34,753.
She will get an additional payment each year for the next 19 years. Shuffler plans to use the money to save for retirement and add to her children's college funds.
The $10 ticket launched in August with five top prizes of $1 million. Two top prizes remain, said state lottery officials.
She's the second North Carolina woman to win the lottery twice since the end of October. Kimberly Morris of Wake Forest won $10,000 with one ticket and $1 million with another, both in the Diamond Dazzler game. Morris had the option of taking a $1 million annuity with 20 payments of $50,000 or a lump sum of $600,000. She chose the lump sum and took home about $417,000 after state and federal taxes.
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Congratulations to both the North Carolina Education Lottery and the winners. Great publicity!
Michelle Shuffler chose the option of the Annuity and that works for her and her family. Kimberly Morris decided that the Lump Sum was best for herself.
Both have now won more than I have. Well done!
Congrats to Michelle for being the 2nd big winner in NC recently!
I am going to the the 3rd big winner in NC...already made up my mind!
Grantie falls nc,,,90 percent white, these areas are loaded with big prizes,nothing new ...
Congrats to her and her family. I couldn't see myself taking the annuity.
It's time to move to NC LOL!
I smell some cheating going on. This shouldn't be happening and someone or some system is messing up with the distribution of the tickets. I hope NC does an internal investigation into this and investigates the two players who won twice within a short period of time.
By golly, you must be right. The two women each bought 2 tickets in different games in different cities and won. That's highly suspicious!! Must be a plot!!
If that's what you believe then go there and buy a ticket, instead of making it about race.
Awesome!
I'm the same,
SMS 1989.
I know some do that. I just don't get why. I would rather handle my OWN monies if i win this huge ya know.
I personally can't trust gov with my big cash$$$ like this...(If i won that is)
I want it all in ONE gigantic huge windfall/after Uncle Sam get his taxes."No annuities for me. I got a cousin who says same.He
is 28 so about almost a decade under me) and says, he too would not do the whole annuity. Just one lump sum after taxes. I am happy
though another person/persons won like this. Congrats to the latest winner.
When I look at the picture of this woman and her smile, the first thing that came to my mind was, "I hope we get away with this!"
She does not look like her smile is of genuine euphoria. Just must observant opinion.
Congratulations to her and I expect to hear more about this in the coming months or years.
If I ever hit a jackpot I'd like to move south to a warmer climate. Sounds like a nice place. Thanks for the demographic info, hopefully I'll check it out some day.
If you do that, you won't be able to wear your "CHEESEHEAD" hat!