"That's all it is, it's luck."
Includes video report
By Kate Northrop
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — A North Carolina woman couldn't believe her eyes when she won a $100,000 lottery prize for the second time on the same scratch-off game.
Players who win the lottery twice often call it a surreal experience, but winning a six-figure prize twice in the same game? It probably feels more like a miracle.
LuAnn Chico of Lexington had a serious case of déjà vu when she played the North Carolina Lottery's $20 "Ruby Red 7's" scratch-off game.
The same game had struck gold for her twice — another $100,000 second-tier prize, just like the one she won in August 2025.
"I won again!" Chico celebrated with Lottery officials. "I'm excited! More this time than last. I'm thrilled to death."
She was taking care of some grocery shopping at Food Lion on North N.C. Highway 150 in Winston-Salem when she picked out a ticket from her favorite instant game.
"'Again? Didn't you just win?'" she recalled people asking her. "I said, 'Yes, last year.'"
The winner recalled becoming the local buzz of her community in which others would try to capture some of her luck.
"Oh, they want me to rub their arms, they want me to give them money to buy them tickets," Chico rattled off with a shake of her head. "No. Buy your own and try your own luck. That's all it is, it's luck. I got good luck."
Lottery staff welcomed her back to Lottery headquarters in Raleigh on Sept. 21 to claim her second prize of $100,000. After federal and state taxes, she took home $72,016.
The last time she won the prize, she had put the winnings toward her four grandchildren. They're still "getting some" to this day, but this time, she wants to spend some of the winnings from her latest prize on a two-week beach vacation with her husband.
"This time, they're getting a little bit, but not as much," she clarified about how she'll continue to help out her family. "More is going to me and my husband this time."
The $20 "Ruby Red 7's" game, which launched in August 2025, has two out of three top prizes of $2 million remaining. Following Chico's win, the game has just one more second-tier prize of $100,000 out of nine originally available, as well as five out of 30 third-tier prizes of $10,000.
The overall odds of winning any prize in the game are 1 in 3.45.
VIDEO: Watch the promotional clip
Good for her, she beat the odds, enjoy.
Congratulations 🎉 on the win.
Now, if I can only win the Powerball Jackpot once 😉
"luck it's just luck"
It seems like that is her regular store to shop but she still had to be at the store at that particular time so yeah luck. And the fact that it was just one ticket. Wow. This means that when we walk past a vending machine we could very well be walking past thousands or millions. You just gotta take that shot if you're feeling lucky.
I have cooled off on scratchers but when I used to play heavy I'd always just get one extra over budget from the roll thinking it might be the winner. You always have this feeling like the next one on the roll is gonna be the winner. That feeling of thinking you have left the winner in the machine. No such luck. All I was doing was helping others win by buying up all the losers. So the lesson is just stay within your budget and if it's meant to be it shall be. There are so many examples that it only takes one ticket.
I hope she enjoys her beach vacation and that her grandkids cherish her.