Belated birthday and early Christmas present for new lottery player

By Kate Northrop

MOUNT AIRY, N.C. — A North Carolina teen won a staggering $250,000 prize on a lottery ticket that was gifted to her by her grandfather, only months after she turned 18.

It didn't take long for one North Carolina lottery player to win a huge six-figure prize just mere months after becoming old enough to play the lottery.

Yuridia Gallegos-Echavarrieta had incredible beginner's luck on a $5 scratch-off ticket that was given to her as a present from her grandfather. She could barely register that the ticket in her hands was really worth $250,000.

"I think I was in shock," she told the North Carolina Lottery.

It was just mere months after her 18th birthday that she found herself face-to-face with a $250,000 windfall. The high school senior is planning to start college next fall.

"I didn't believe I actually won," Echavarrieta recalled. "We had to go back to the gas station to check it."

Her grandfather was the one to gift her the lucky top prize-winning ticket, which was a $5 "Power 5s" instant game that he purchased at the Speedway convenience store on Rockford Street in Mount Airy.

He was also the first person she told about the win.

"He was like,' That's awesome!'" the Mount Airy resident related.

She visited Lottery headquarters in Raleigh to claim her major prize and took home a total of $178,126 after federal and state taxes. She says she plans on investing her winnings.

Echavarrieta claimed the third $250,000 top prize in the $5 "Power 5's" scratch-off game, which launched in October, leaving three more to claim. There are also seven out of ten second-tier prizes of $10,000 and 44 out of 66 third-tier prizes of $1,000 remaining.

The odds of winning any prize in the game are 1 in 4.32.

(Click to display full-size in gallery)Mount Airy resident Yuridia Gallegos-Echavarrieta received a scratch-off present from her grandfather, a gift that became a $250,000 surprise.