Matthews Woman Collects Quarter Million Lottery Windfall

One of the things I enjoy about following the lottery winners is the conversations I have with others. Specifically, about the subject of "life changing money." For some strange reason, if the amount is not seven figures before the decimal, SO many people act like it's no big deal. Kimberly Mahon is the subject of the headline, Matthews woman wins lottery. And make no mistake about it, her windfall is life changing.

No, Kimberly Mahon's lottery cash windfall didn't involve ping-pong balls of any kind. She continues what has been a recent hot streak for North Carolina winners. One, there have been a good amount lately from the Charlotte area. And two, scratch-off tickets have been the vehicle to sudden, instant wealth. Mahon purchased a $5 "20X" ticket with a top prize of $250,000 from Stallings Superette on Potters Road in Stallings.

According to WSOC-TV, Kimberly Mahon took home $178,751 after taxes. Which leads me back to the way this blog post began, and that's on the subject of life-changing money. For those of you who believe that amount-just because it's not in the millions-wouldn't alter you life? What?! Just thinking about my life...my son's student debt would be wiped out. All my credit card debt would be wiped out. My car would get paid off and I'd have plenty to put down on a home. If that's not life changing, I don't know what is.

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.

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.

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.

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.