$5 lottery ticket turns into ‘shocking’ win for North Carolina woman. ‘Pinch me’
A woman spent $5 on a lottery ticket — and scored a prize worth celebrating.
“I was like, ‘Pinch me,’” winner Sibyl Ackin told the North Carolina Education Lottery in an Aug. 12 news release. “It was shocking.”
Ackin was in disbelief when she learned she won $200,000. She couldn’t wait to tell people she was getting richer.
“I told everybody,” the lucky winner said. “I called my aunt first.”
Ackin won big after stopping Sunday, Aug. 10, at a Circle K convenience store in Fayetteville, a roughly 65-mile drive south from Raleigh. While there, she tried her luck on a ticket for the Mega Bucks scratch-off game.
It turns out, the ticket beat 1-in-1.2 million odds to score a top prize in the game. Though Ackin was skeptical at first, she has warmed up to her win.
“Now it feels real,” Ackin told lottery officials after she claimed her prize.
The lucky winner, who lives in Fayetteville, kept $143,501 after taxes. She hopes to donate to her church and go on a family vacation to Florida.
Four jackpots still remain in the game as of Aug. 12.
It’s not the first time a lottery player has rushed to share their good news. Another North Carolina winner jumped on a video call and told her kids she won millions, McClatchy News reported in July.
This story was originally published August 12, 2025 at 2:59 PM with the headline "$5 lottery ticket turns into ‘shocking’ win for North Carolina woman. ‘Pinch me’."
