Photo: GettyA last-minute decision to play the lottery made one North Carolina woman hundreds of thousands of dollars richer.Stephanie Israel, 39,won a whopping $501,544after buying a Quick Pick ticket just minutes before Saturday’s Cash 5 drawing, according to a press release from the NC Education Lottery.However, the Guilford County woman didn’t realize she’d won on her $1 ticket until the next morning, when she opened her email.“When I went in and saw it, I screamed for like 20 minutes,” Israel told lottery officials. “I think I scared my family a little bit.“Israel purchased the ticket with “only four minutes” before Saturday’s drawing, according to the news release.“It was late at night and I was lying in bed and the spirit just told me to go online and buy one,” she told lottery officials.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Israel claimed her winnings — $356,147 after state and federal withholdings — at the lottery headquarters on Monday.The Browns Summit woman now hopes to use the money to invest in her family.“We are constantly thinking of new ideas for businesses,” she explained, adding, “Our boys already have a landscaping business.”
Photo: Getty
A last-minute decision to play the lottery made one North Carolina woman hundreds of thousands of dollars richer.Stephanie Israel, 39,won a whopping $501,544after buying a Quick Pick ticket just minutes before Saturday’s Cash 5 drawing, according to a press release from the NC Education Lottery.However, the Guilford County woman didn’t realize she’d won on her $1 ticket until the next morning, when she opened her email.“When I went in and saw it, I screamed for like 20 minutes,” Israel told lottery officials. “I think I scared my family a little bit.“Israel purchased the ticket with “only four minutes” before Saturday’s drawing, according to the news release.“It was late at night and I was lying in bed and the spirit just told me to go online and buy one,” she told lottery officials.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Israel claimed her winnings — $356,147 after state and federal withholdings — at the lottery headquarters on Monday.The Browns Summit woman now hopes to use the money to invest in her family.“We are constantly thinking of new ideas for businesses,” she explained, adding, “Our boys already have a landscaping business.”
A last-minute decision to play the lottery made one North Carolina woman hundreds of thousands of dollars richer.
Stephanie Israel, 39,won a whopping $501,544after buying a Quick Pick ticket just minutes before Saturday’s Cash 5 drawing, according to a press release from the NC Education Lottery.
However, the Guilford County woman didn’t realize she’d won on her $1 ticket until the next morning, when she opened her email.
“When I went in and saw it, I screamed for like 20 minutes,” Israel told lottery officials. “I think I scared my family a little bit.”
Israel purchased the ticket with “only four minutes” before Saturday’s drawing, according to the news release.
“It was late at night and I was lying in bed and the spirit just told me to go online and buy one,” she told lottery officials.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Israel claimed her winnings — $356,147 after state and federal withholdings — at the lottery headquarters on Monday.
The Browns Summit woman now hopes to use the money to invest in her family.
“We are constantly thinking of new ideas for businesses,” she explained, adding, “Our boys already have a landscaping business.”
source: people.com
