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JACKSON – A decision by Virginia Powell to purchase a few scratch-off tickets offered by the North Carolina Education Lottery proved to be a wise move.

The Jackson woman scratched a 20X The Cash ticket and cashed in on the $250,000 top prize.

“It just feels unreal,” said Powell. “I guess it just hasn’t sunk in yet. I keep thinking someone’s going to walk in and tell me it’s not true and I didn’t win.”

Powell recently stopped at the Speedway on East Jefferson Street in Jackson to buy a couple of scratch-off tickets. Just moments later she realized her luck had took a turn for the better.

Powell claimed her prize on Wednesday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required federal and state tax withholdings she took home $176,876.

Powell said with that money she plans to “help my grandkids as much as I can – put some money aside for them – and try to do some work around my house.”

All Multiply the Cash games can also be entered into second-chance drawings on the lottery’s website. Prizes in the drawing include one $100,000 cash prize, eight $5,000 cash prizes, and 25 $500 cash prizes. The deadline to enter into the Sept. 9 drawing is Monday, Aug. 31.

Ticket sales from scratch-off games make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $725 million per year for education. For details on how money raised by the lottery made a difference in all North Carolina counties last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.