WILMINGTON, NC — A Wilmington, North Carolina, woman is a lot richer after buying her first lottery ticket ever.
Cindy Reeves, a stockroom clerk, said she has worked hard all her life, according to a news release from the North Carolina Education Lottery. Sunday morning, the Wilmington native bought a $20 scratch-off ticket at the Shop-N-Go on Market Street. The ticket for the $4,000,000 Multiplier Spectacular turned out to be a $1 million winner.
As a new player Reeves was unsure whether or not she had won a prize. She called her boyfriend, Rick Jocheim, who plays lottery games, and they figured out she'd won.
The couple went to Raleigh yesterday to collect the prize money. Winners of $1 million in the game have the option of claiming it in $50,000 payments as a 20-year annuity or a one-time lump sum of $600,000.
"I'm going to pay off everything I owe," Reeves said after taking the cash option.
She said that her after-tax winnings of $415,206 would also allow her to take a trip to Disney World and visit the North Carolina Mountains with her sister.
"She really deserves this," Jocheim said. "It could not have happened to a better person."
Congratulations Cindy Reeves, Spend Wisely
She said that her after-tax winnings of $415,206 would also allow her to take a trip to..
Nice beginners luck!
$1,000,000-$415,206= $584,794. In lottery speak you have to win about $3M to bring home $1M.
Tired of these FIRST TIME PLAYERS winning a million ayeah right man gtfoh
That is so cool. it was meant to be, Congrats Cindy, enjoy!
I agree with you Smooth! First time playing my butt!!!
Screw her!!!
If I ever win anything big, I will tell the media it was my first time playing as well just to irritate every regular player out there.
First time and she won? Amazing!!!! Congratulations. I hope she takes some of her winnings and invests it!!!
I'm happy for her but can the state of NC get a jackpot win.
4 year drought here
Shouldn't she have netted around half a mil? All taxes should average around 50% of the prize. Around 40% federal and additional states taxes averaging around 6% so I don't understand why her net is lower. Can someone clarify the taxes?
It bothers me already
You guys...
When I win the JP I'm gonna have the lottery make the following statement just to read the funny comments:
"To my Lotterypost.com friends, it is hard to believe but this was really my first time buying a lottery ticket".
Can you explain that? Why? If she chooses the lump sum, aren't all the federal taxes taken out before she receives the money in the bank?
Nice!
story hard to believe. no one buys a 20.00 ticket the first time they play. they start with 1.00 or 2.00 tickets 99.5% of the time one would think and graduate upward when they get greedy. probably been a closet scratch player for years and just made the story up for attention, which is foolish on her part if she did. boyfriend probably plotting some scheme to get a chunk into his pocket asap. disney world is for children. no sane person over 21 would go to that sinkhole of a place.
Good morning
Not all federal taxes are taken out. They take 25% fro federal when paying out the money. Then, when the tax return is filed there may be (actually probably will be) more taxes to pay depending on deductions, etc. Winning that much money puts a person in the top tax bracket which is 39.6%.
Last time that I scratched, my skin was itching. Some win money by scratching.
I wish to see a young one hit the JP at least.
jejejeje...
...when I turn 21 I wish to hit the JP.
3 years ago, I let my mom buy me 2 or 3 tickets. Yay! now I can buy my own, but I wouldn't spend more than $20.00
That usually feels like a slap in the face lol but we all knew coming in that this thing is pure luck. To spice up your story when you win you could say that on that day you saw a green spider and in your culture (invent one) that means something good and big is coming haha create a craze for green spiders.
Usually when you win $1,000,000 on a scratch ticket it means you have won $50,000 over 20 years. So if you want it lump sum then you immediately lose $350,000 (this is true in MA). Don't forget that IRS and State Tax collector are waiting to pounce on that $650,000 check (25% Federal taxes + 5% State taxes)
Usually when you win $1,000,000 on a scratch ticket it means you have won $50,000 over 20 years. So if you want it lump sum then you immediately lose $350,000 (this is true in MA). Don't forget that IRS and State Tax collector are waiting to pounce on that $650,000 check (25% Federal taxes + 5% State taxes) leaving you with about $455,000.
Congratulations
I hope you Win BIG
I wish you Win Big too!
more likely scenario is the boyfriend hit it and gave it to her to cash since he owes back child support or taxes. her family and or friends knew she never plays the lottery so she had to make up this fable that this was her first purchase to protect the no good boyfriend from being dunned.
You're probably right faber!
Congrats cindy brady. I should be jealous but i look at these wins and realize i want my one chance at winning to be millions, not one mill.
Hello fellow Massahole (lol)
well in that case then her net should be even lower since federal tax is at 40% plus additional state taxes. All of that from a $650,000 check which ends up being half of that. That's just insane.
That sounds more believable than somebody who never plays buying a $20 ticket their first time.
Congratulations to her, but man, only keeping 41 percent. That's pretty bogus. I was in Australia a few years ago and noticed that all gambling winnings down there are tax-free, since gambling is not considered income. You could win $2,000 on a video slot machine (or "pokies") and they'd cut you a check on the spot. Then again, they only have 1/12th of the population the U.S. has.
Go to Universal. Better yet, she could go to Carowinds.
Love beginner's luck stories. Conratualtions Cindy Reeves!!
thanks ridge, this story smelled as soon as i read it. todd didn't check his sources on this one. (he's good but can't check everything) legitmate lottery stories are needed to keep this site going, but a 10 year old could see through this one as phony as a 3 dollar bill.
Congrats Cindy:I,ve been playin the lottery since the early 90,s the most I,ve won is 1,000 dollars,twice 500 a few times.I looking for that life changing win.Maybe I should asked my wife to buy a ticket she never plays,an get that beginners luck. A DOLLAR AN A DREAM.
Everybody reads a story oneway but i read a story more accurately from a different point of view. This lady comes here to claim she only scratched once and won $1m yes she is a very very lucky lady indeed. But OMG she does not even know how to count her scratches.She claims her boyfriend does all the scratches before while she sits on her butt watching him and thinks that she is not liable or responsible for all his scratches.Her boyfriend has scratched like 5000 and i find you lady guilty of half of that like 2500 scratches. And even if you don't have a boyfriend i find you guilty of the full 5000 scratches anyway because you don't know how to count your scratches. The lottery department will love you because they know the first scratch is always sweet and free and yours being so sweet and nice the first scratch they know you will come back alot for more scratches one is never enough. if am your boy friend i will take fifty percent of your winning and walk away and find a new girlfriend that hasn't used up all her lucky scratch charm in one hot shot. Right now you are like a blackhole that will start to consume everything arround you plus thoes things you need and don't need and never produce good fortune anymore. So learn to count your scratches lady this is my opinion. lol
Dang, tell us how you really feel Big Joe!!!
Wow! WTG! That is fate!!!!
It's ok golfer I already know your scratch count 1960 next to your name golfer1960 and you being so bad in your golf too you have only one white ball left. Hahahahahahaha
I agree. I only bought a scratcher one time and it was for a dollar or two (and regretted it).
Congrats.....I am happy for the winner of the (one) $20.00 Ticket. Others are fussing because they purchased two to five tickets costing $5 to $20 and got zero dollars. May she spend it wisely and the force be with her as on her day of purchase.