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Catherine Lane

Weekdays Morning Show Co Host/Middays

North Carolina Woman Wins A Million After Listening To Her Gut

Catherine Lane March 11th

That still small voice that tugs at you to make a decision. It is always good to pay attention to it. A North Carolina woman wins a million dollars after listening to her gut.

Wendy Hester, from Leland in Brunswick County, purchased a ten-dollar scratch off ticket at the Fairhaven Mini Mart on Walker Street after “getting a feeling”. “It was meant to be”, she reportedly told North Carolina education lottery officials.

After Wendy’s scratch off win she called her husband to share the good news. They chose the lump sum of 600,000. After taxes and fees, she took home 427,503.  What will she do with her newfound riches? She says she will pay off her car and buy a home for her family. To learn more about this story, get details here from the North Carolina Education Lottery.

North Carolina Is One Of The Luckiest States For The Lottery

There are some states that are luckier than others. There is no doubt about it. North Carolina made the list of 15 lucky states in the United States, according to OLBG. Everyone has fantasized about winning the lottery, whether it’s the Mega Millions or the Powerball. Whether you’re planning a lavish vacation, buying a house, treating a loved one, giving to charity, or all of the above, when we buy a ticket we always have a little bit of hope and our imaginations go wild when we hear about the unclaimed winning ticket…

When it comes to winning big on the lottery, which states are the luckiest? To determine where in America has the greatest likelihood of winning the big bucks, OLBG analyzed all lottery winners in the U.S. with a jackpot of $300 million or more. You can see the top 15 states below.

  • 15. Tennessee

    Rank

    State

    Times won

    Total amount won

    Avg. amount won per winning ticket

    15

    Tennessee

    2

    $582.4 million

    $291.2 million

  • 14. Rhode Island

    Rank

    State

    Times won

    Total amount won

    Avg. amount won per winning ticket

    14

    Rhode Island

    1

    $210 million

    $210 million

  • 13. Vermont

    Rank

    State

    Times won

    Total amount won

    Avg. amount won per winning ticket

    13

    Vermont

    1

    $208.4 million

    $208.4 million

  • 12. California

    California was ranked 12th luckiest state despite having the highest number of big lottery winners, primarily because the state has such a large population that there are very few lottery winners, and the average winning ticket for a California winner is only $190.5 million.

    Rank

    State

    Times won

    Total amount won

    Avg. amount won per winning ticket

    12

    California

    11

    $2.95 billion

    $190.5 million

  • 11. Florida

    Rank

    State

    Times won

    Total amount won

    Avg. amount won per winning ticket

    11

    Florida

    5

    $1.4 billion

    $280 million

  • 10. New York

    Rank

    State

    Times won

    Total amount won

    Avg. amount won per winning ticket

    10

    New York

    6

    $1.3 billion

    $216.7 million

  • 9. Wisconsin

    Rank

    State

    Times won

    Total amount won

    Avg. amount won per winning ticket

    9

    Wisconsin

    2

    $702.1 million

    $351.05 million

  • 8. Arizona

    Rank

    State

    Times won

    Total amount won

    Avg. amount won per winning ticket

    8

    Arizona

    3

    $795.6 million

    $265.2 million

  • 7. New Jersey

    Rank

    State

    Times won

    Total amount won

    Avg. amount won per winning ticket

    7

    New Jersey

    9

    $1.3 billion

    $144 million

  • 6. Michigan

    Rank

    State

    Times won

    Total amount won

    Avg. amount won per winning ticket

    6

    Michigan

    3

    $1.09 billion

    $363.3 million

  • 5. Maryland

    Rank

    State

    Times won

    Total amount won

    Avg. amount won per winning ticket

    5

    Maryland

    4

    $868.8 million

    $217.2 million

  • 4. Illinois

    Rank

    State

    Times won

    Total amount won

    Avg. amount won per winning ticket

    4

    Illinois

    5

    $1.3 billion

    $260 million

  • 3. Indiana

    Rank

    State

    Times won

    Total amount won

    Avg. amount won per winning ticket

    3

    Indiana

    3

    $985.8 million

    $328.6 million

  • 2. North Carolina

    North Carolina has won a whopping $1.1 billion between both lottery winners, making its average winning ticket $550 million, the highest in the country. As a result of its higher population, North Carolina didn’t quite capture the title by itself, with a lower percentage of its population winning than New Hampshire.

    Rank

    State

    Times won

    Total amount won

    Avg. amount won per winning ticket

    2

    North Carolina

    2

    $1.1 billion

    $550 million

  • 1. New Hampshire

    In terms of lottery jackpot winners, New Hampshire and North Carolina share the gold for the luckiest states. Residents in New Hampshire have won a total of $693.7 million, which is an average of $346.85 million per winning ticket. As one of the states with the highest percentage of people who have won over $300 million, New Hampshire has the third smallest population.

    Rank

    State

    Times won

    Total amount won

    Avg. amount won per winning ticket

    1

    New Hampshire

    2

    $693.7 million

    $346.85 million