A Raleigh woman put just 50 cents into an online lottery game and came out with $379,423, landing a jackpot with odds of roughly 1 in 129 million. The win left her stunned — and apparently wide awake for the rest of the night.
Jessica Hinton won the top-level Alakazam jackpot in the Magic Winnings Vegas digital instant game, according to CBS 17, citing North Carolina Education Lottery officials. Hinton said the moment felt like being “a kid waking up on Christmas.”
How The Digital Jackpot Works
Magic Winnings Vegas is played online through the lottery’s website or official mobile app, rather than with a paper scratch-off. The NC Education Lottery says players can wager anywhere from 50 cents to $30, while its progressive jackpots keep growing until someone hits them.
Hinton claimed her prize Tuesday and received $273,223 after required federal and state tax withholdings, CBS 17 reported. She said she plans to use the money to buy a house, purchase a car, invest and help homeless people — a fairly ambitious to-do list for a game that cost less than a vending-machine snack.
Another Big North Carolina Digital Win
Hinton’s jackpot is the latest major payout tied to Magic Winnings Vegas in North Carolina. The lottery previously reported that a Charlotte player won $324,612 on the same game in April, after making a $2 digital play.
