North Carolina woman wins $723,755 lottery jackpot, plans to retire her husband

A lucky lady from North Carolina managed to change her life entirely by spending only $10 on a "Jackpot 7's" Fast Play card, which rewarded her with an impressive $723,755 win on July 11.

When Cynthia Neely discovered she had won the full North Carolina Lottery Fast Play jackpot, she was filled with happiness and excitement.

"I think I cried all the way home," she shared with lottery officials.

Neely purchased her ticket at the Kangaroo Express on East Main Street in Rockwell, North Carolina, 9 miles northwest of Salisbury. She believed she'd lost at first when she saw the lottery went down to $20,000.

"When I got in the truck and saw my first ticket said the jackpot was back to $20,000, I thought, 'Oh darn, somebody already won the jackpot,' Neely shared.

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Upon careful examination of her ticket, Neely realized she was the fortunate recipient of the complete $723,755 jackpot.

"I had to convince myself that I had the winning ticket," Neely said. "It is a life-changing amount of money."

She collected her prize Friday at North Carolina Lottery headquarters in Raleigh, taking home $515,678 after state and federal taxes, North Carolina lottery officials reported.

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Neely plans to donate to her church, invest her money, and possibly take a trip with her husband.

"I'm going to try to talk my husband into retiring soon," Neely concluded.