For the Daily Journal

For the Daily Journal

HAMLET — A scratch-off from her son led Debora Rankin of Hamlet to a $500,000 lottery win.

“He went to the store and got some tickets and brought that one back for me,” she said.

The lucky $10 Double Diamond Cashword ticket came from the Fast Mart on South Cheraw Road in Hamlet.

“You dream of winning something like this,” she said.

Rankin said she didn’t truly believe it until she arrived got to the lottery office in Raleigh.

“It really didn’t become a reality for me until now,” Rankin said.

Rankin arrived at lottery headquarters Wednesday to collect her prize and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $356,253.

She said she wants to use her winnings to buy a new SUV.

The Double Diamond Cashword game debuted in April with four $500,000 top prizes. Rankin won the first top prize in the game. Three $500,000 prizes remain to be claimed.

Ticket sales from scratch-off games make it possible for the lottery to raise $2.5 million a day on average for education. For details on how $3.2 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Richmond County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.